The Wildcard
by FuzzyBeta
Summary: When Light Yagami killed Naomi Misora, he thought he was safe. Little did he know that Fate had another card hidden up its sleeve. Determined to find justice, Naomi's younger sister Emi is willing to risk everything to join L, track down Kira and make him pay for his crimes. Will she find answers or will Kira kill her first? Also, who keeps stealing all the red apples? (L/OC/Light)
1. The Fool

**Chapter 1: The Fool**

 _Upright - Beginnings and innocence, spontaneity._

 _Reversed - Holding back, recklessness, risk-taking._

* * *

 **December 15th, 2003**

 _We've just gotten off the plane. Going through customs now. See you soon. – Naomi_

Emilia Misora, also known as Emi to her friends, could not help but grin as she stared at her phone.

For the past ten years since their parents' divorce, Emi was always the one who had to hop on a plane to visit her sister and father in the United States. Now finally it was her sister's turn to make the trip, alongside her new fiancé Raye Penber.

After only ever hearing his voice over the phone and seeing the photos her sister had sent over email, Emi was excited to meet him. After all, it wasn't every day that her hard-headed, mystery obsessed older sister fell head over heels to marry and settle down with a guy.

She didn't have long to wait outside the arrivals gate, holding up a sign that read "best sister right over here" in English with an arrow pointing up to Emi's own face.

 _There they are!_

Emi's face lit up excitedly as she saw the familiar head of long black hair poking out of the turned-up collar of a black leather jacket and dragging a dark suitcase.

"Nao-Chan! Over here!" Emi waved enthusiastically as her sister caught her eye, her face splitting into a wide smile.

"Hey, Emi!" Naomi rushed over to hug her little sister tight.

Despite her joy at seeing her sister again, Emi couldn't help but feel slightly peeved as she was crushed into her sister's chest. Naomi had always been tall, mature and slender, even in her childhood. Whereas the now eighteen-year-old Emi, still looked like a middle school student with her short petite stature, wide doe-brown eyes half hidden behind thick glasses with a thick metallic magenta frame and mousy brown hair.

 _Some things never change_

Emi smiled as her sister broke apart to take a good long look at her.

"Oh look at you now. Gosh! It's been two years. I can't believe you've almost finished high-school!" Naomi reached up to affectionately ruffle her sister's messy bun.

"Hey! I just brushed that" Emi scowled, blushing a dark vermillion as a male voice chuckled.

Emi looked up and smiled as she caught sight of the tall, dark, handsome face of Raye Penber. He was dressed in a long trench coat with a button up shirt and slacks beneath. His smile was friendly as he held out his hand in greeting.

"So this is the famous Emi! It's nice to finally meet you face to face." His Japanese was perfect, though unlike Naomi, his American accent still seeped through quite a bit.

"Me? famous? Says the man who finally tamed my crazy sister and got her to settle down!" Emi snorted but quickly giggled at the sight of her sister rolling her eyes "Just kidding, it's good to meet you too Raye-kun."

She shook his hand and reached down to help her sister pick up her carryon luggage.

"Come on, I've called the taxi, it should be outside."

"Oh Emi you didn't have to do that" Naomi started but Emi just waved her off.

"Of course I do, it's your first time in Japan for six years it's the least I can do. Now come on. Let's get a move on!"

The trip in the taxi was altogether enjoyable. Raye was slightly quiet, but Naomi and Emi more than made up for the chatter as they talked about the latter's time at school in rapid English.

That was until Emi rolled her eyes and said:

"-And of course everyone's in a tizz about the whole Kira stuff."

As if by magic, Raye and Naomi stiffened uncomfortably in their seats.

"What? Is something…oh, right I forgot. No talking about the big K while outside" Emi scratched her head smiling apologetically.

"It's okay. It's just been a long flight, that's all" Naomi smiled, though Emi noticed her glancing at her fiancé as she said this.

To her credit, Emi pretended not to notice as she quickly changed the topic, talking about Hideki Ryuuga's latest scandal in the media. Having a father and sister in the American FBI, Emi was used to keeping things on the down low, including herself.

After all who wanted to know about the frumpy, geeky daughter of Japan's most beautiful socialite? Speaking of said socialite…

"So…how's mom?" Naomi smiled tentatively.

"Same old, same old" Emi sighed heavily. "She's still shopping in Singapore if you can believe it. She'll be flying back day after tomorrow in the jet."

"The jet?" Raye quirked an eyebrow at Naomi who suddenly looked sheepish.

Emi rolled her eyes again. Obviously, her sister had forgotten to inform her fiancé about what kind of mother in law, he was going to meet. Then again, their flamboyant, obnoxious mother was a force of nature and after years of watching her tear through department stores and gossip columns, Emi couldn't blame Naomi for wanting to keep quiet.

At least Naomi could escape their mother's shadow in the U.S.A, Emi had to spend her whole life skirting around her just to live with some semblance of normalcy.

As if sensing both sister's discomfort with the topic Raye was quick to probe Emi about her final high school exams.

"So what kind of university are you applying for Emi?"

"Hmm…not sure yet." Emi slid her glasses up her nose thoughtfully "Probably To-oh or some other big fancy school if only to keep both okaa-san and otou-san out of my hair." She added with a small grumble.

"Well it could be worse." Naomi conceded gently "To-oh is the top university. Who knows, as long as you keep on top of your studies you might just fit right in. Maybe you can find something in computing, I have heard they have a good Information Technology faculty."

"Yeah, which mom wants to keep me far away from" Emi muttered. "if she had her way we'd both be dolled up like clowns and modelling for a teen magazine like her clones."

"True" Naomi chuckled. "Speaking of clowns do you remember-"

On her other side, Raye smiled as he watched the two sisters giggle and joke with one another. It was a shame, he thought, that he had to use this ruse of meeting the in-laws to cover up his investigation.

Emi seemed a good kid, and despite the stories he'd heard, he was looking forward to meeting his potential mother in law. Had the nagging thoughts of potentially catching Kira not been floating in the back of his mind he could've enjoyed this taxi ride.

Yet even as they all hopped out of the taxi and into the hotel, he couldn't help but notice the curious look on his new soon-to-be sister-in-law's face.

She was quick to smile as she caught his eye, but Raye knew better than to be fooled. Naomi had warned him of her sister's curious mind and exceptional computer skills. He wouldn't be surprised if Emi already knew the reason he had come and who had probably sent him.

After all the Misora sisters were not women one could easily cross.

* * *

 **December 19th, 2003**

"Hi, Raye-kun! Over here!" Emi waved enthusiastically to her new brother in law as he strode down the street towards her.

"Hi, Emi." Raye Penber waved back slowly. He looked tired, it was almost the dead of night, not that it mattered to Emi, who was a nocturnal creature herself, though she preferred to stay up in the company of her own home and at her computer.

Still, since her sister was out dining _alone_ with their fabulous mother, Emi thought it was a great opportunity to get to know her soon-to-be-brother-in-law without her sister hovering over her shoulder at every twist and turn. Raye too, seemed eager to talk to her in private after he'd finished work. It seemed he was more nervous about gaining Emi's stamp of approval than he was of the Misora parents.

"We're just in here, the ramen's pretty good, and there's a spot in the corner we can talk without anyone listening in" Emi pointed at the entrance to the restaurant beside her. It was cosy and slightly cramped but full of the hustle and bustle of tourists and businessmen who'd come out for their evening meal after a long day at work.

Raye sighed with relief as he stepped into the warm broth-smelling restaurant, glad to be out of the cold night air as he shrugged off his long trench coat. He was surprised that Emi was so comfortable in only a thick pink woolly turtleneck sweater over her school uniform. Then again she had grown up here so maybe she was more comfortable.

"I brought my laptop as you asked," she said in English as they settled down, shifting her magenta framed glasses up her nose. "So how was work for you?"

"Same old same old. Just the usual paperwork, home drop-off, you know, those kinds of things" Raye waved off casually smirking at Emi "Though you'd probably know all about it seeing as you did remotely hack my laptop."

"When did you find out?" Emi just smiled pleasantly. Years of having to face her angry father in the wake of her less than legal computer activities had toughened her up to these sorts of interrogations.

However, Raye wasn't looking too angry with her as he said:

"Last night after you left. Naomi warned me you might try to get into any tech I use, like how you did for all her other boyfriends you met while you visited her in the States."

"To be fair, the first two I did because my Otou-san asked me to." Emi shrugged her small smirk widening. "the last two I did because they were huge jerks and they deserved it"

"And what about me? Did your father ask you to snoop or was that all you?" Raye raised an eyebrow.

"Neither actually" Emi shrugged as she reached for the i-pad set at the head of the table and punched in her order. "You seem like a good guy. It's clear you love my sister just as much as she loves you, and you want what's best for her. I just wanted to look at what you were working on."

"I see" Raye's eyes hardened a little as he reached out to punch his own order into the tablet beside him. "Find anything interesting?"

"That depends on what you count as interesting" Emi met his gaze evenly "Though to answer your question. I didn't find anything that I didn't already know or guess."

"Meaning?" Raye's eyes hardened.

"Well," Emi leaned forward and lowered her voice "I already knew you and Naomi were coming to Japan investigate the big K, that much was obvious. I mean, she wanted to put off meeting mom for as long as possible so why suddenly cave in right now, especially straight after the detective L suddenly waged war against big K personally? Plus, Naomi worked for L during the L.A. BB murder case so it comes as no surprise that both you were to come to Tokyo to work for him in her stead."

"True," Raye frowned, quickly pausing as their drinks were quickly brought out to them by a waiter. So far all she had uncovered or guessed was pretty straightforward and made logical sense. Emi already knew about her sister's previous work with the elusive detective, and she had been living here in Tokyo watching the drama with Kira unfold. It wasn't at all hard to put two and two together.

Still, she had accessed confidential files of an FBI case…then again, according to Naomi, Emi hadn't ever spilt the beans on any case she'd gotten her hands on in the past. If anything she probably kept all the information under far better protection than anyone else. And if Naomi and her father could trust her, then Raye could too.

Indeed, he was willing to bet if Emilia Misora weren't such a reckless rule-breaker, she might have made an exceptional FBI agent like her sister.

She certainly interrogated him like one when their food came to the table, especially when the talk turned to his relationship with her sister.

Raye used to think Naomi's father was terrifying, yet it was nothing compared to dealing her protective baby sister.

 _Who'd have thought an eighteen-year-old could be so shrewd?_

He chuckled as he answered another one of Emi's cleverly crafted questions.

He could only hope his quarry Light Yagami was nowhere near as clever as his sister-in-law. Then he'd really be screwed.

* * *

 **December 22nd, 2003**

The school cafeteria was packed when a very tall girl with short black hair, tipped at the ends with purple, trudged over to sit at Emi's table.

"Whew! What a day! Oh, hi Emi!"

"Hi Yuki" Emi sighed heavily as her friend sidled into the spot opposite her. "How was the class?"

"Boring. I totally bombed Calculus test from last Friday and I've still got to write half of that essay for Social Studies before tomorrow morning. Oh yeah, and of course the _brilliant_ Light Yagami decided today would be the best day to humiliate me in front of the class again by being his usual perfect self and getting that translation right." Yuki growled sparing a savage glance towards her left.

Emi followed her gaze, only to catch sight of a tall, handsome teenage boy with light brown hair and a polite smile plastered on his face. He was laughing and joking at something someone was saying at his table, but Emi could tell from the glint in his eyes that his heart wasn't in it at all. If anything he looked rather bored, as if he were a king humouring a commoner at his feet.

Despite this, Emi couldn't help but flush a little as he looked away from the conversation, caught her gaze and gave her a small charming smirk that couldn't quite hide the suspicion in his eyes.

"Smug bastard" she muttered as she turned back to wallop down her bento box, with little grace. In the corner of her eye, she could see Light Yagami wince with disgust and turn away back to his conversation.

"Think's he's so perfect" Yuki agreed bitterly as she took a sip of her water bottle. "Be thankful you only have him for P.E."

"Don't remind me" Emi groaned wiping the lenses of her glasses on her sleeve.

It was no secret to the entire world that she hated physical exercise. Anything that required her to do more than an average jog was torture for her. The only reason she stayed so tiny was due to her unusually high metabolism, one that unfortunately made a massive dent in her wallet with the amount she had to eat to sustain herself. Thank heavens her mother had money or else she'd be broke by now.

She had just about finished her rice and meat and was moving onto the pickled daisho when Yuki spoke again.

"Speaking of mister perfect, remember that crazy Bus jacking that happened two days ago?"

"You mean the one headed to Space Land?" Emi quirked a brow behind her glasses. "Yeah, I heard about it. What about it?"

"Well, I don't know if you heard, but Yagami-san was on a date with Yuri, y'know Yuri Akino. And the two of them were caught on that very bus the crazy guy got on."

"Really?" Emi blinked in surprise, quickly chancing another small look in the corner of her eye at Light who had gotten up from his seat with the rest of his peers. He tried to look casual, but she could see him itching to look her and Yuri's way. They were only a couple of tables away, had he heard their conversation?

"Yeah, I heard Yuri talking about it in the changerooms after P.E. Apparently, the bus-jacker guy, Osoreda or whatever, came onto the bus, held them all to ransom and then had this weird hallucination and started shooting at the back of the bus for no reason."

"Probably a drug-induced hallucination" Emi shrugged. "Half the scum like him are usually on some kind of whacked out crap when they pull stunts like this. Gives them an edge or adds to the high they get."

There was no doubt about it now, Light Yagami was listening in on their conversation as he stalled with his posse at his table. Emi suppressed a shudder as she forced herself to listen to her friend's ramblings

"Yeah, that's true, but anyway back onto Yagami-san. Apparently, he was as cool as a cucumber while all this crap was going on around them. Didn't even move when Osoreda got hit by that bus."

"Well, his father is a policeman. He's probably been drilled on what to do in emergency situations since birth. And as for the accident, I wouldn't be at all surprised if he'd gone into shock. God I know I would've." She added and was pleased to see Light's posture relax a little even as he made to pass their table with his group.

As he made his way by her, Emi could've sworn she'd seen the traces of a small wicked smirk flicker over the corners of his lips for a split second. However, it was quickly covered up by a polite smile and a soft "excuse me" as their eyes met.

 _Damn you Yagami._ Emi cursed her lightly blushing cheeks as she watched him leave.

It was ironic, she thought as she finished chomping on her pickled daisho. She was considered the school tech otaku. A weird girl with a big appetite that barely anyone, save the other geeks, talked to.

Light Yagami, on the other hand, was prince perfect grades, with perfect hair and a perfect face to match his annoyingly perfect mannerisms.

They were such opposites who barely knew one another let alone run in the same social circles. Heck, she didn't even think he knew her name! And yet she couldn't help but feel there was something off about him, something that she just could not put her finger on no matter how hard she tried.

She was pulled from her thoughts by Yuki's sudden exclamation.

"Hey, Emi, what happened to your apple?"

"Huh?" Emi looked at her lunchbox. Where a juicy whole red apple had once been, now was nothing but an empty metal slot.

"That's odd, it was just there a moment ago" she frowned as something red flashed in the corner of her eye. She looked up again just in time to see the door to the cafeteria begin to close. Framed in the doorway was Light Yagami, shoving something round and red into his pocket.

"Jerk" Emi mumbled as the door shut behind the young man's back, obscuring him from view.

* * *

 **December 28th, 2003**

The hotel room was silent save the quiet sobbing that came from the woman in the bed. Beside her, her younger sister sat against the headboard, gently stroking her hair and whispering words of comfort quietly.

"I-I-I just can't believe they're gone. I-I just can't."

"I know Nao-chan. I know" Emi mumbled softly, her own eyes red from crying.

For the first time in her life, the younger Misora sister had no idea what to do or say. Her poor sister was in an absolute heartbroken mess and all she could do was pet her head like a dog and whisper bullshit to try and comfort her over the death of the love of her life.

And it wasn't just him. All twelve FBI agents L had commissioned to search Japan for Kira had died, along with the name of their main handler, Kaito Misora who had died back in his office in the U.S.A.

The hand that wasn't stroking her sister's head clenched angrily into the sheets.

There was no doubt about it. Kira had killed their father and Raye Penber. That could only mean one thing, that Kira was amongst one of the various families that the FBI were tailing.

He (or she) had to be. There was no other reason to kill them otherwise. If Kira wasn't under surveillance, then they wouldn't have bothered to kill the FBI agents. They would've probably just lain low till the threat had passed.

 _But if Kira is amongst those that were being tracked, then which family is he apart of?_

For some reason, Light Yagami's face wafted over Emi's mind. She knew that Raye had been investigating the Yagami and Kitamura families for the past few days, but she doubted the perfect golden jerk had the balls to kill a person, much less be Kira.

 _Then again he and Yuri were both on that bus to Space Land when it got hi-jacked…Hmm…I wonder…_

She looked down at her sister. Her eyes were now shut and her breathing was evening out as sleep finally took hold of her.

Emi then glanced around the hotel room. There on a small little breakfast table was Naomi's computer.

Carefully so as not to disturb her sleeping sister, she slid off her side of the bed, pausing to make sure Naomi wouldn't wake up.

Hopefully, if she kept quiet enough, she could download all she needed from her sister's computer and bring it back home without getting caught.

It didn't take Emi long to hack her sister's laptop, though she couldn't help but freeze in terror as the machine made its customary login tune.

However, she needn't have worried as Naomi merely grunted in her sleep and turned over.

 _Good lord, she must be exhausted._

Emi sighed in relief as she looked over her sister's machine.

 _God Nao-chan seriously? You call yourself an agent?_

She scowled in disgust as she caught sight of the cluttered state of the screen, which was littered with various files, text and images.

 _Creative clutter my foot! It looks like a bomb hit the screen!_

Resisting all urges to just right-click and reset the whole damn desktop, Nao-Chan quickly set about searching through the various folders. If she knew her sister well, the FBI stuff would be hidden somewhere under a codename-

All in all, it took her two hours to syphon through the mess and load the information onto a crimson hard-drive (which had the white Full Metal Alchemist symbol stuck on the top). She would have to look at it later, she reasoned as she quickly shut all the windows and logged out of the machine. She could hear her sister rolling over and getting restless, a sure sign that she was beginning to wake up.

Swiftly and smoothly, Emi veered out of the chair and went into the bathroom where she proceeded to flush the clean toilet and turn on the tap

"Emi?" she heard a voice call out blearily as she exited with a yawn.

"Bathroom" Emi called gently as she came back out, pretending to settle her sleeping clothes about herself, her cheeks slightly flushed.

Though she might be good at lying to other people, Emi always found it difficult lying to her older sister. Naomi still could read her face faster than she could blink. She thanked her lucky stars that the room was dark and her sister was too distracted to notice the slightly guilty look in her face as she slid back into the bed beside her and slid off her glasses.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry."

"It's okay" Naomi murmured under her breath, not quite meeting her sister's eyes. "Emi?"

"Yeah?" Emi watched her sister warily through blurred eyes as she opened her mouth…only to shut it hastily.

"Never mind. It's nothing. Let's go to sleep 'kay."

"Naomi-I know it's tough-" Emi started, but Naomi just cut across her softly.

"Goodnight Emilia"

Emi scowled as her sister shut her eyes forcibly. She wished she wouldn't do this. Naomi always shut people out when she was upset, and it never helped anyone.

 _Guess I'm going to have to stick by you like a barnacle until you do decide to open up._

Emi rolled her eyes, fondness and sadness both stinging her hard in the chest as she lay back onto the pillow and fell fast asleep.

Much to her cost.

For when she woke up the next morning the bed beside her was empty, and her sister was nowhere to be found.

* * *

 **December 31st, 2003**

"Come on Nao-chan! Pick up your damn phone!" Emi was almost begging her phone as she held it desperately to her ear. It was the middle of the day, and everyone was out and about, getting last minute shopping done before the New Years Eve Celebrations that were to take place that night.

 _"we regret to inform you that the number you have dialled is not available-"_ a feminine computerised voice spoke in her ear.

"Damn it!" Emi growled.

Two days! It had been two whole days since her sister had vanished from the face of the earth. After hacking into the Hotel's security camera's, she had been able to see that her sister had left her side barely an hour after falling asleep.

She had taken her laptop with her, along with her suitcase and had hopped into a taxi. The room had thankfully been paid for by the FBI, but still, that didn't stop Emi cursing her sister as she ran over the events she had charted out based on her search.

Naomi had left at four in the morning, hopped into a taxi that had taken her to Shinjuku. She had stopped off at a convenience store to buy some food then withdraw a lot of yen. From there on her card transactions had ended and Emi had tried to track down her phone.

All in all, it was a frustrating search. Naomi had turned her phone on and off repeatedly throughout the day and whatever security footage, Emi had managed to snag was pixelated at best. It didn't help that Naomi was good at blending into a crowd, no matter how pretty she was.

 _Of all the times you had to go dark on me Nao-chan it had to be now?! Now? When you know, Kira is out there killing off all those who try to catch him. Oh god, what am I going to do?_

Emi patted the outer pocket of her rainbow-galaxy-print messenger bag. In it, she could feel her red hard-drive with the Full Metal Alchemist sticker. The feel of the metal made her glower deepen.

She didn't even know why she had bothered to copy those files across in the first place. They were a complete waste of time. All they had been was a backup of the original data she'd taken from Raye when he first arrived in Tokyo. There was nothing there about anything new he had spotted while on assignment.

 _Maybe I took the wrong file_?

She wondered, only to groan. Even if she did take the wrong file, the only way she was ever going to get the new ones was if she stole Raye's laptop from a police evidence locker, or she tracked down her sister and rifled through her machine once again.

Either way, it was clear that neither option would be quick nor easy.

She vaguely wondered if she should go to the police and file a missing person's report like her mother had been itching to do.

But no…that would be too dangerous. Kira had already proven that they were close to the police when they killed off all the FBI agents investigating the police families. If she and her mother filed a missing person's report, then Kira would learn about Naomi, and that she was out there trying to bring him to justice on her own.

And if he could track down and kill twelve FBI agents and their overseas handler easily without even laying a finger on them, what would stop him from tracking down Naomi first and killing her before she could be found? Then once that was done, what was stopping Kira from finally tying the ribbon into a neat bow by killing Emi or her mother for meddling?

 _Oh god, what am I going to do? Come on Emilia think! Think goddammit! There's got to be something I can do? Someone that can help me find her before Kira does? Someone like…like L?_

She paused mid-step, hardly caring as the people on the street walking around her, utterly unperturbed by the sudden look that flashed over the young girls' face.

 _Yeah. Maybe L could help…that's If I can find him. Oh god! But where would I even begin? Looking for L is just as impossible as looking for Naomi right now? Heck, it'd be like searching for a goddamn unicorn! I wouldn't know where to start!_

Emi sighed heavily, only to wince as she bashed her shoulder accidentally into someone.

"Ow!" she cried out as she stumbled to the floor, her bag dropping with her.

"HEY!" she called, but too late. The culprit had already vanished into the crowd. Not that she would've been able to see them anyway, seeing as her glasses had fallen off her face somehow.

"Great! First, my sister goes missing and now my glasses? As if my day couldn't get any worse." she mumbled under her breath as she scrambled about, trying to search for her glasses while fixing her bag at the same time.

She was so busy cursing and shivering in the cold winter air that she didn't notice the strange hunched figure that had bumbled toward her, holding a pair of magenta rimmed rectangular glasses delicately between a couple of slender, pale fingers.

They were careful and silent as they placed the pair of lenses gently on top of her bag while her back was turned to them, but she didn't notice. She was more focused on resettling a rubber band over a set of old tarot cards.

"Damn where are those f-ing glasses?" she paused as she saw the shadow that had eclipsed her quickly withdraw over her. She spun around, still on the ground to face the turned around and caught sight of the glasses perched upon her bag (one of the lenses severely cracked), along with the briefest glimpse of a head of messy black hair and a denim clad leg with a ragged trainer vanish into the door of a sleek jet-black limousine.

"Hey wait!" she called out but too late. The door to the limo had shut, and the vehicle was speeding off down the road.

It was so fast; she didn't even have time to memorise the number plate before it disappeared around a bend and out of sight.

 _Well…that went well_

Emi snivelled as she pushed her half-shattered glasses over her eyes. Now only one eye could see clearly, but at least it was better than nothing.

She was quick to gather the remaining items of her bag and pick up her phone which had only dropped a foot from her ankle, dangerously close to the edge of the sidewalk.

"Achoo!" she sneezed loudly, as a gust of cold wind hit her hard. Great. Just what she needed, to catch a chill on this sidewalk.

 _I'm not going to get anywhere in my search if I get sick out here._ She wiped her nose as she finally got to her feet. _I might as well call it a night and start fresh tomorrow. It's not like I'll be able to find anything in the evening come New Years Celebrations._

Even as she said this, a snowflake fell upon her nose, and she heard a soft voice echo in the back of her head:

" _Nao-chan I'm tired can't we just sit down?"_

 _"Come on Emi; we're so close to the bell now? Can't you hear it?"_

And indeed, she could. It was all Emi could hear now.

All one-hundred and eight strikes of Joya no Kane rattled in her skull like dice on a game board as the memory of her childhood washed over her. A memory of two young girls in thick winter coats darting around on New Year's Eve with their parents, eating Mochi and laughing as they played in the snow, their parents watching over them carefully.

 _What does it matter anymore? It's not like I have much left of my family anyway._

Emi shook her head out, hot tears streaming behind her broken glasses as she turned on her heel and strode down the street, shoulders hunched and shivering ever so slightly in the cold.

 _Oh God, Naomi, where are you?_

* * *

 **January 1, 2004**

Light Yagami sat at his bedroom desk, hand scratching his chin in deep thought as a thought nagged away at the back of his mind.

He had just killed that meddling woman Naomi Misora. If the Death Note were to be trusted, she would already have taken her own life by now in a secure location that nobody else would find.

Light knew he should've felt relieved. He'd just escaped a very close call after all. If that Naomi had reached L and the task force before he had found her the consequences could've been disastrous. As it stood, he'd almost messed up when she'd given him a fake name to write down first.

It was a good thing he was a brilliant actor or else he'd shudder to think what might have happened had he given his fury away.

But now all that was over, and all that was left for him to do was to usher in the new year with some judgements from Kira.

Even as he pressed his pen down upon the paper of the morbid instrument of death, he paused and bit his lip.

He felt like he was missing something. Something important.

 _That's impossible, I've calculated every single outcome for this venture. I've calculated risks and ensured every single way to overcome them. And now that Misora woman has been taken care of I'm in the clear. There's nothing I could've missed and no one else that can do me in now…_

Yet even as he thought this he couldn't help but feel his gut sink a little lower as he looked out the window.

 _…Is there?_

* * *

 **So there you have it. Chapter one of a new fanfiction submitted bang on time for the new year. It's been a long time since I wrote anything for Death Note so I might be a little rusty.**

 **Of course, I will start with the usual disclaimer of not owning anything except this fanfic plot or the Oc Emilia "Emi" Misora. She's a smart young woman with a few less than legal, technological hobbies (i.e. hacking into top secret agents computers and hotel security cameras). Seeing as Naomi Misora's family is never covered in the Anime or Manga (apart from the brief mention of her father somewhere by Raye Penber but I forget where:P). She was always one of my favourite characters in the manga, even though she only had a brief appearance for a few chapters. I always kinda felt sad that after Raye's death, no one really looked for her and she died alone and it got me wondering what if she had someone else in her life who did care? what if there was someone who would look for her, like how she searched for answers for Raye?**

 **then I figured it would be interesting to make up a family around her.** **More and more about it will be fleshed out as the story goes, but so far her father was an American-Japanese working with the FBI and her mother was a rich socialite of some sort with her own money. Both of them divorced years ago and split Emi and Naomi up between them, Emi staying with the mom in Japan, while Naomi lived in the states with their father. Despite this the two girls remained close and Emi often would visit the states to spend time with her sister. There are roughly eight years between Naomi and Emi (i know a big age gap). I figured it'd fit if Emi had a western name like her sister (also it proves important to the plot later ;) )**

 **So anyways, that's all about my OC for now. if you enjoyed and want to read more please review your thoughts.**

 **Wishing everyone a very happy new year**

 **Cheers**

 **FuzzyBeta**


	2. The Magician

**Chapter 2: The Magician**

 _Upright – Resourcefulness, power, inspired action_

 _Reversed – Manipulation, poor planning, untapped talents_

* * *

 **January 5th 2004**

"Here we are, home sweet home" Emi sighed as she hopped off the private jet. She and her mother had just come back from attending her father's funeral in the states. They'd also attended Raye's funeral as well.

If there was anything worse than not seeing her sister, it had to be facing the ex-would be in-laws without her. Raye's parents, mister and missus Penber, were sweet and accepted hers and her mother's condolences gracefully and lovingly as if they'd already been family for years. They adored Naomi as if she were one of their own, and understood that her absence was due to the fact she wanted to find closure.

 _Still, to miss out on Raye's funeral. Nao-chan I hope you're okay!_

Emi thought sadly as she trudged after her mother into the limousine that was waiting for them on the runway, carefully wiping the lenses of her new magenta rimmed glasses. Where her mother had chosen a tasteful yet expensive long dress and veil, Emi was dressed in black jeans, a black turtleneck and a long dark grey pea coat, with a magenta and black tartan scarf over her neck.

It had been a present from Naomi for her last birthday, and it was the only piece of colour her mother had permitted her to wear, in honour of her missing sister.

They had filed a police report but had yet to give an official statement in person. Her mother, using all the influence she had, had declared she wasn't going to give one until someone from the Special Task force (hopefully L himself) would speak with her and her youngest daughter in private.

For once, Emi found herself admiring her mother's loud, demanding nature if only because it so forcibly reminded her of Naomi's stubbornness. Haughty, outlandish (and often embarrassing) though she may have been, Nozomi Midoori, loved both her daughters as fiercely as a bear and would stop at nothing to see to it that they were safe from harm.

Which while admirable, was proving to be a bit of a problem for her youngest child. Ever since the limo had left their luxurious family home three days ago, Nozomi had been sticking to Emi's side like glue. Even worse, she had confiscated her daughter's laptop (by literally locking it in the family safe hidden in the mansion basement), only ever allowing her to bring her phone or the inflight entertainment system on the private jet.

Emi wondered if she would get away breaking into the family safe and sneaking her equipment out? She probably could; she would have to wait and see if everyone else was asleep before remotely turning off all the security cameras for five minutes.

However, a few minutes into formulating her new mini-heist plan, a voice cut through her thoughts.

"hai! Moshi-Moshi! Yes, this is Nozomi Midoori speaking. May I know who's calling? Hirokazu Ukita? From the Japanese Task Force? Well its about time someone got back to me!"

 _Holy crap she got through to the task force?!_

Emi stared at her mother in astonishment. Who'd have thought it? Her mother's brash, loud ways had worked?

* * *

The hotel suite had been quiet as the five police officers shuffled through paperwork or clicked through computer files on their laptops.

Amidst them, the tall elderly gentleman in a suit had a telephone pressed against his ear, nodding and humming as he listened to the person at the other end.

"Hmm. Yes, could you please hold for a moment. Ryuzaki!" the old man called out to the room "It's Ukita at the NPA he says he's on the phone with someone from the helpline with information for us"

There was the shuffling of material as a young man slumped around to face him. He was tall, wearing a long white cotton shirt and baggy blue jeans with messy black hair that fell over his constantly deadpan black panda eyes that seemed to harden as they looked at the phone in the old man's hand.

"Right. Then give Ukita the number for line five and have him ask the informant call that line instead it'll be safer that way" the young man, Ryuzaki, then turned to face one of the police officers, a young man with an innocent face and wearing a suit. "Mister Matsuda it's okay for you to turn on your cell phone. Actually, please turn it on right away."

"Uh, sure" Matsuda quickly pulled out his cell phone from his pocket, which had started to ring loudly. But before he could answer it, Ryuzaki promptly pulled the phone out of his grip and held it to his ear delicately.

"Yes this sis Suzuki, head of Kira's Investigation Public Information Division" Ryuzaki answered, deepening his already deep voice. Behind him, Matsuda glowered mutinously at him, but nobody came to his defence to admonish Ryuzaki's rude phone hijacking.

All were far too interested in his conversation as his eyes widened ever so slightly in surprise.

"Raye Penber's fiancé? Naomi Misora? Hmm, I've heard that name before…" he mumbled the last bit to himself curiously as he turned to the old man beside him, who had just pulled up some information on a nearby laptop.

Ryuzaki stared at the screen, which contained various pictures and short snippets of information of different personnel files. At the top of this page, the name Naomi Misora all but screamed out at him, along with a picture of a beautiful, if slightly dangerous, woman with long black hair, pale alabaster skin and warm brown eyes.

 _Ah! So it's her!_

Ryuzaki's eyes widened even more as he drank in the features of the woman's' face

 _She's from the Los Angeles BB Murder Case, that's right! She was working under me. I guess she must've come to Japan with her fiancé…_

He listened carefully to the speaker on the other end. It was a woman, probably middle-aged, or close. She was speaking with great urgency.

 _Must be Naomi's mother. Why else would a woman her age be wanting so desperately to speak to the task force about such an incident?_

Ryuzaki reasoned as he strained his ears. He could've sworn he'd heard someone grumble on the other end, someone who wasn't Naomi's mother. However, their voice was too quiet to make out.

He mentally shook himself out quickly just in time to hear Naomi's mother thank him (or instead the fictional Suzuki) for his time before hanging up on the line. As he listened to the dial tone beep off in his ear, Ryuzaki sighed and handed Matsuda's phone back into his hands.

"Well, apparently she's been missing since the day that her fiancé died." He droned as he walked past the rest of the task force.

"Well I'm sure anyone in her situation would be depressed," Matsuda said, pity welling in his eyes "Was it uh…"

"Suicide?" another one of the task force, a man with an afro named Aizawa, said plainly.

"No." Ryuzaki murmured, narrowing his gaze on the floor as he shuffled across it "The Naomi Misora I knew was strong-willed, not to mention an excellent FBI agent. If anything, it's more likely she'd be trying to catch Kira. It appears she came to Japan with Penber; it's possible she might've found a clue…hmm…"

He hummed to himself, chewing on the nail of his thumb as he got lost in thought.

 _But if that's the case did Kira get to her first? …Either way, I'll need all the information I can from her family about her movements before and after Raye Penber's death, as well as the files on the families he was tailing…Which was it again? Ah yes, now I remember…_

Ryuzaki's lip curled around his thumbnail. Things were about to get very interesting indeed.

* * *

 **January 6th 2004**

 _Whoever thought running around in circles was a good way to exercise ought to be hung!_

Emi huffed as she and Yuki both puffed at the end of their class on the school quadrangle. Behind them, they could already feel the class track stars gaining on them as they prepared to lap them both for the umpteenth time.

"Hey, guys! Look what we've got here, two sloths who can't run" a young boy with spiked up black hair cackled behind them along with his cronies. "Better watch out before you become roadkill!"

"Oh piss off Ganju and go bother somebody else for a change!" Yuki growled only to stop as Emi grabbed her hand and tugged her to the side of the quad before she could get another word out.

The last thing she wanted was to be sent to the principal's office for fighting with a school jock…again.

Besides she had enough to worry about what with her mother finally going to meet the Kira Task Force to give an official report on Naomi's disappearance.

"Why'd you do that?!" Yuki grumbled as Emi dragged her to sit on the sidelines. "I was just about to give that jerk a piece of my mind."

"Yeah, well you can do that some other time when I have the strength to keep you two apart" Emi gasped as she guzzled down several large gulps of water from her bottle. She had just about paused to take a breath when she saw a shadow suddenly cross over her own.

"Excuse you, you're in my way" a high-pitched feminine voice sneered.

 _Oh great…just what I need._

Emi rolled her eyes as she glanced to the side.

There standing next to her was a pretty girl with black hair drawn up into two high pigtails, flanked by two other slightly taller girls, all of them dressed in the school sports uniform. All of them were glaring down Emi and Yuki with great disgust as if they were slugs caught on the bottom of their shoes.

"Hello Mitsuki, fancy seeing you here" Emi drawled sardonically, as she shut her water bottle and resettled her glasses. "How can I not help you this fine day?"

"Don't start all that crap with me freak! Now move, I need to get to my bottle" Mitsuki snapped folding her arms haughtily.

"Hmmm…nah sorry, no can do. Not unless you say the magic word." Emi snorted as she took another swig from her water bottle, only to wince as it was slapped out of her grip.

"Get out of my way" Mitsuki growled as she shoved her way past Emi who rolled her eyes and quickly stood to the side to let Mitsuki's posse past. Both girls glared at her venomously, but Emi, already so used to their behaviour, merely raised her eyebrows.

Yuki, to her credit, didn't bother saying a word as the girls' passed, though she did spare them a nasty glower as they walked out of earshot.

"I still can't believe that idiot is allowed to come here after the crap she's pulled" Yuki growled. "Seriously. If I were her teacher, I would've kicked her out years ago."

"It's because her parents are rich" Emi shrugged turning back to her drink "don't worry, money will only get her so far. It's not like morons like her will ever amount to much else in life." she added quietly, eyes falling to the ground.

"Yeah. Though it's a pity Kira can't rid the earth of scum like her" Yuki muttered with a smirk. Though if she thought the joke would be appreciated she was dead wrong.

"Don't even joke about that!" Emi's eyes brown eyes flashed dangerously, and Yuki took a step back. "Yuki, this isn't a game show where you pull a name from a hat and make people do ridiculous crap that makes you laugh. Kira _kills_ people."

"Yeah but they're criminals-" Yuki started, but Emi steamrolled over her angrily in a fierce whisper.

"So what?! They're still human beings. Human beings who had parents, families, homes, friends, just like you and me. What if, someone like your brothers ended up in jail, would they stop being your brothers?"

"What-no-I-I-of course not!" Yuki spluttered.

"Exactly they're still your brothers." Emi sighed heavily as she tried to will herself back to a state of calm before her burning eyes could stream over "Look I totally agree that maybe the world would be better off without morons like Mitsuki ruining people's lives. But I think what Kira is doing is…is…"

"Wrong?" Yuki mumbled, eyes softening sadly. "and you're right. I'm sorry Emi, I wasn't thinking-"

"It's okay; I know you were only kidding" Emi patted her friend's shoulder before clumsily setting her water bottle down to the ground. "And I'm sorry too. It's been a tough few weeks, and I just took it out on you."

"That's okay. I understand" Yuki smiled comfortingly "Anything I can do to help?"

"You could get me that pocky you still owe me from last term" Emi gave a weak smirk and was pleased when Yuki rolled her eyes with fond exasperation.

"You'd make one terrible loan shark; you know that?"

Both girls laughed, utterly unaware of the lone figure of Light Yagami standing nearby, glaring burning holes into Emi's back.

He always knew that there would be some backlash to his ascension as Kira.

L's meddling with the Lind L. Tailor incident had been proof enough that he'd face trouble. But L had been a person of power and was mainly targeting him to satisfy his ego and cement his place as the world's greatest detective.

This Emi girl, on the other hand, was just a mere student in his year at school. What right did she have to scoff at Kira's methods? She should've been grateful that Kira was protecting her and her peers from all the nasty horrible people in the world that could harm them.

 _She believes herself to have a higher moral compass, when in fact she is nothing more than an idiot._

Light thought bitterly as he gulped down another sip of water.

Ugh! Why was this idiot girl bothering him so much? He was Light Yagami, top of his class, one of Japan's youngest and brightest minds. She was a geek, an outsider. Barely anyone liked her save her friend and a couple of people on the school paper. Why the hell was he so bothered by what she said?

 _"They're still human beings. Human beings who had parents, families, homes, friends, just like you and me."_

He bristled as he heard the last words filtering through his head.

Human beings? Ha! More than half the criminals he sentenced daily were some of the most inhumane people on the planet. Still, he supposed, she had a point, even if it was a small one.

Many of the men and women he sentenced had been born from a mother's womb as all humans were. They had all had once been innocent children at some point in their lives.

 _But that still doesn't' change the fact that they became criminals in the first place._

He sighed as he collected himself for a moment.

What was he doing? He was thinking about this all wrong and getting worked up over nothing.

This Emi girl and all the others who thought like her were not idiots opposing him. They were just naive innocents who didn't know better. If he wanted to be the god of a new world, he couldn't just sentence those whom he had judged evil or a threat; he'd have to educate those who followed him on what was truly right and what was wrong.

 _I have to find a way to get rid of that L. With him out of the picture; it'll be easier to sway the rest of the world to my way of thinking._

He was distracted from his thoughts as he glanced up from his musings, only to feel his stomach jolt as he realised Emi was frowning at him through the corner of his eye.

Quickly he offered her a polite smile before turning his back promptly, cursing himself for being so careless.

Emi meanwhile turned back to her thoughts, dwelling on what she had just seen. Light Yagami, always seemed so polite and perfect in every way, had been glaring at her like a vulture picking her apart piece by piece.

She shivered as she recalled the intensity he'd spared her when she'd been talking in the cafeteria before the holidays.

It was almost like he was studying her, assessing every part of her inside and out…and not in a good way.

Before Naomi disappeared, Emi would've laughed it off and joked that the perfect Light Yagami was a secret pervert with a thing for geeky girls.

That glower he'd given her couldn't have been one of physical attraction. If anything it looked more like disgust, with far more disdain than anyone at school had yet given her, and that was saying something as she was one of the least favorite people in her year.

She wondered if he'd heard her conversation and was upset by what she said about Kira. It was possible. But then if that was the case then was he a secret Kira supporter? Was that why he was so upset?

 _But no…his dad's the Deputy chief of police. And the Force are all for catching Kira…_

It was odd, Emi thought, brow furrowed hard in concentration. This was the second time she'd found him eavesdropping in on her conversations with Yuki, and once again he had that curious glint in his eye.

Despite herself, she couldn't help but shudder as she remembered the file's she'd pulled from Raye's computer.

 _Raye was investigating the Kitamura and the Yagami households. Light and Yuri had been on the Space Land bus that had been hijacked. The hijacker, however, wasn't as successful as he died in a car accident before the bus arrived at Space Land. Exactly a week after that incident, Raye gets killed at a subway station by Kira, and according to the FBI, he was the first of the twelve agents to die from a heart attack. This cannot be a coincidence…_

"Emi! Come on! Fumiyo Sensei's coming this way to get us. Oh crap, he looks pissed." Yuki gulped nervously as she pulled her best friend back into the quadrangle, not noticing the way Emi's face turned the colour of chalk.

 _But no…it couldn't be…there's no way in hell that's possible. But if it is possible, then I need to find out-_

"Hey, Emi wait where are you going?!" Yuki called out, but already Emi had flown back into the building and out of sight.

She was so fast that she didn't even notice she'd run straight through something jet black, with sharp pointed teeth and a pair of raven black feathered wings.

"Hmph! Well, that's just rude" a deep voice sneered, only to snigger.

"Emilia Misora huh? Just like that woman Light killed a few days ago. Hmm, won't this be fun? He-he-he!" his chuckles turned to cackles, all of which were invisible to all but one person.

 _What the hell is he laughing about now?_

Light Yagami, glared over his shoulder at the amused Shinigami floating and chuckling at a safe distance.

Sometimes Ryuk could be so weird.

* * *

"Ryuzaki, all the security cameras have been set in place in the Yagami and Kitamura households" Watari said as he entered the hotel room.

Before him, Ryuzaki was sitting alone surrounded by folders, computers and various room service trays laden with sweets.

"Good, we shall start observations later this afternoon" Ryuzaki mumbled as he chewed on a strawberry that he was dangling from his fingers.

In front of him, Watari was quick to spy out a laptop, on which Naomi Misora's full FBI personnel file was out for all to see. Ryuzaki was looking at a section marked "family".

 _Kaito Misora – Father (deceased)_

 _Noriko Midoori – Mother_

 _Emilia Misora-Midoori – sister_

"I see you've been looking through the files on Naomi Misora then."

"Yes and so far it hasn't been fruitful" Ryuzaki murmured glumly as he switched windows to the family's file. "I have been looking over the entire Misora family's movements before Naomi's disappearance."

"And what have you discovered so far?"

"Nothing much we didn't already know. Naomi's father Kaito Misora was in the U.S.A. co-ordinating and collecting the information the twelve agents provided him via email before being killed with a heart attack the same day Raye Penber died. Naomi's mother Noriko was in Singapore earlier in the month then returned shortly after her daughter and soon-to-be son-in-law came to Japan. She met with Naomi during their first week for a quiet dinner and then later met with Raye a few days later. Otherwise, she had been busy planning the surprise bridal shower for her daughter which she was going to throw a couple of days before Naomi and Penber left. Then there's Emilia Misora…"

Ryuzaki clicked the taskbar at the bottom of the screen where a thumbnail for a loading file was slowly but surely filling up with green.

"The file should come through in a minute or so, but I think it will be most insightful as Emilia Misora was the last person to see her sister before she went missing."

"I see. I take it you will be questioning young Miss Misora soon then?" Watari's moustache bristled a little. It was no secret that he and his charge had admired Naomi Misora. She was an exceptional FBI agent and a great ally in times of need. It was no doubt that her disappearance (or death as it was more likely) had come as a significant blow to the world's greatest detective, especially when he had the pressure of catching Kira weighing heavily over his hunched shoulders.

"Indeed." Ryuzaki turned back to the screen. "Right after I finish downloading this last file the director of the FBI sent."

Even as he said this, there was a beep, and the loading bar vanished, only to be replaced by a folder.

"perfect. Now let's see…" Ryuzaki's voice fell away as he opened the first file and a profile appeared on the screen, along with a photograph.

It was a passport photo of a young teenage girl, with shoulder length brown hair, pale skin and very familiar brown eyes. Why were they familiar? Because they were the same as the ones, he had seen in Naomi Misora's profile.

But that wasn't what had Ryuzaki stumped.

"Ryuzaki? …L?" Watari leaned over his charge worriedly "is something wrong?"

But Ryuzaki did not answer. His mind was a whir as he drank in every single feature of the girl before him.

It was her. The young woman who he'd seen outside their previous hotel on New Year's Eve. He almost didn't recognise her without the glasses, but he was sure it was the same person.

He had been at the front entrance of the hotel, waiting for Watari to bring the limousine around to pick him up, when he'd first noticed her. In person, she had looked much younger than the eighteen years stated on her official profile, so much so that he had wondered if she had adult supervision.

In many ways her visage reminded him of a little mouse he'd once seen in his childhood, scurrying around in a tizzy trying to find its hole before the cat saw it. He felt his chest restrict uncomfortably as he remembered the distress on her face as she'd been knocked over.

 _But why would she have been so distressed that day…unless…_

He looked over his notes again in his head and felt his stomach lurch. Naomi Misora had only disappeared two days before the thirty first of December. From the information, he could see in this profile (which included several family photographs) two girls were especially close.

He chewed the nail on his thumb thoughtfully as he started scrolling down the page, his brow furrowed in concentration.

The girl was gifted in computing and technology if the notes kept by her father and the FBI were anything to go by. In her earlier years, seemed she had gotten into trouble a couple of times for hacking into her father's computer and accessing specific forbidden databases, though she didn't look to have done anything to the files she'd seen or taken.

As she'd gotten older, however, it appeared that her father had grown to appreciate her skills and had used them to significant effect. She had helped him encrypt and secure many of his files as well as help him fake identity documents for various undercover FBI agents, not to mention run background checks on suspicious characters hidden on the dark web.

Ryuzaki felt the corners of his lips twitch upwards in intrigue as he looked over her name, under which was another name

 _So she has more than one identity, has she? Let's see. Hm, she uses the name Emiko Midoori while at public functions with her mother, and Emiko Minami while at school. Both these aliases are probably used for security reasons after all her father was a prominent FBI figure with a few enemies. Also, her mother is a leading public figure, so that too would put a big target on her head in everyday life…that being said her mother has been careful to keep her out of the spotlight so far…_

He mused mentally as he scrolled through her contact details. One of her various email addresses caught his eye, if only for its strange obtuseness.

 _M3dea? At MedeaArcana-dot-com… now that's a strange domain name._

Ryuzaki quickly typed the domain into the search bar of his internet browser and was surprised at the pages that came up.

It appeared as if MedeaArchana was a psychic consulting website, one which ordinary people would email and get consultations on their fortunes to the fortune teller (who had dubbed herself Medea), which came to them in the form of pictures of Tarot cards. Had he not been so invested in his investigation, Ryuzaki might have scoffed at some of the testimonials and reviews he saw as he skimmed the webpage.

It was incredible just how many people believed in superstition, even enough to let it dictate their entire lives and cloud the truth. He highly doubted the true ability even existed. From his experience solving crimes and exposing criminals, many of the supposed psychics were nothing more than exceptional people readers with a knack for sleight-of-hand and mastery of manipulation.

Much like Kira and his taunts with the Shinigami, but Ryuzaki shook his head as he put that thought aside. He would think about Kira in a bit, right now he was interested in finding out more about the youngest Misora.

From what he had seen of the contact information page, Emilia was Medea and probably made use of her computer skills to gather information on her clients before presenting them with her thoughts based on the data.

 _Who'd have thought such a small mousy looking thing would have such powers of insight?_

Ryuzaki's eyebrows rose a little as he skimmed through a couple of glowing testimonials. From all the accuracy of her 'predictions', the girl was a very observant person…much like her older sister.

 _She must've been searching for Naomi the day I saw her. She had exhausted all her other options and couldn't find anything when her sister had gone dark, that's why she was so upset._

Ryuzaki leaned back to crouch in his seat, eyes softening ever so slightly as his thoughts dwelled back to the troubled girl on the street. Contrary to what people thought, the detective did feel emotions, despite his many attempts to work through his cases like a machine. Despite his best efforts, it was hard not to feel sorry for the younger Misora girl after everything she'd been through.

Kira had killed her father and brother in law, and her older sister was missing and could've potentially been killed by the same serial murderer. And now that her mother had put in an official report there was an even greater chance that she would be killed if Kira ever found out about her existence.

For the first time in his life, Ryuzaki found himself hoping that his informant could give him no information, if only to lessen the danger they would undoubtedly place themselves in. The fewer people that could be killed by Kira before they caught him the better.

And yet he could still feel in his gut that familiar tugging nagging feeling was urging him to find out what she knew. Such an observant person surely must have noticed something suspicious during such an ordeal, no matter how tragic.

He looked down at the phone left before him on the coffee table.

 _Now, to establish contact with Emilia Misora._

* * *

 _Wow, you'd think this school would keep better tabs on their students?_

Emi scoffed as she looked around the library. It was mostly empty as it was still class time, but a few students were milling about, most likely rebellious juniors skipping out on class. The librarian didn't even seem to care as Emi slipped to her usual small table at the back, which was behind a couple of bookcases.

It wasn't unusual for her to skip P.E. to study in here instead. If she had her way, she'd never put on that damn sports uniform ever again. But such was life, and besides, it was only a couple of months more of High School then…well, who knew?

 _At least I can research without being disturbed._

She sighed in relief as she pulled out her laptop from her bag and plugged in her red FMA hard disk. She was quick to find the files she had copied from Raye's laptop, surreptitiously positioning them on her screen so she could quickly cover them with a word document that had all her school notes at a moment's notice.

 _Now let's see. According to the briefing sent in the files sent by Otou-san, Raye was in charge of investigating both the Kitamura and Yagami households. This included following various members of each of the families, mainly those who were above the age of thirteen at the very least. So far so good._

She scrolled down the first few pages of Raye's early reports, shifting her glasses up her nose slightly as she examined the details.

 _It looks like that out of all the household members investigated in the Kitamura family, Raye spent the most time tailing the Director and his eldest daughter. Same goes for the Yagami household except for this time it was mister perfect hair Light and his father. Both sets of spouses and younger siblings were only followed for less than a day each if only because they didn't yield any results. Then again they too could be acting. Now let's see there's got to be more… huh? Why won't it let me scroll?_

"Wait that can't be it" Emi scowled as she reached the end of the document. Quickly she scrolled up to quickly check the date of the report.

 _19_ _th_ _December 2003? That's the day before the bus-jacking. Damn!_

She slapped her hand to her forehead, glaring through the gaps between her fingers at the screen.

Just her luck that she'd be missing the most important reports. It seemed as if everything she did recently, she just came up short. Her sister, the Kira files. Even her studies had taken a hit!

Then again, at least having very little was better than having nothing at all to work with. She returned her attention to the screen again.

 _Maybe there's something I'm missing…something I can find in this report that might point me in the direction I need to go. Wait a moment! What's that?_

Emi quickly paused in her skim to highlight a bar of text with her trackpad.

 _Hmm…that's odd. Raye didn't nearly spend as much time investigating the Kitamura's as he did the Yagami's. And the one he spent the most time studying on L's orders was…Light Yagami?!_

Emi felt her blood all but freeze in her veins as she rechecked the report.

From the eighteenth till the twenty-first of December, Raye had tailed Light Yagami, bringing the total number of days to three, whereas most of the other members of both the Kitamura and Yagami families usually were tailed for only a day or a day and a half at most.

 _But this doesn't make any sense. Nothing in this report states that Yagami-san did anything out of the ordinary. He comes here to school early; then he goes to prep school in the evenings, then he goes home, occasionally picking up groceries and snacks from the supermarket along the way. Sounds just like any typical teenager, if a very boring one._

She rolled her eyes to herself only to stiffen as another thought ran across her head.

 _But no…something's still not right. Why tail mister perfect hair for three whole days straight if he doesn't show anything out of the ordinary? Unless-hmm… Damn, I can't see it! I can't see it! What would Naomi do if she were here? What would she say? Think Emi, think!_

She did her best to ignore the clenching in her chest as the smiling face of her older sister wafted over her brain.

 _Come on! Focus Emi! Focus! Ugh! This screen is too bright!_

She quickly snapped her laptop shut and shoved it back into her bag, quickly snatching out her tarot cards instead. She shut her eyes and scowled as she shuffled them deftly in her hands.

The sounds of paper shifting and clacking against the wood of the desk was soothing to her ears as she spun, shifted, swiped and slid cards between her fingers and one another.

Up, down, around and around, over and underhand. She did the overhand shuffle, the riffle shuffle, the Hindu shuffle, the weave, all expertly practised by deft fingers. What she didn't know was that Light Yagami was watching her from behind a bookshelf.

 _Unbelievable, I didn't even know a thing about this girl since yesterday. Now I can't seem to shake her off! Everywhere I go she always seems to be there right before I am. Is she following me? Is she suspicious of me? What's going on?_

He scowled to himself as he watched her through the gap between books. Lunch had just started, P.E. having finished a good half hour ago. He had already dressed back into his standard school uniform and had been busy returning some study resources to the library when he spotted Emi at her table.

He heard her first before he saw her. It wasn't hard to notice the somewhat grating sound of the constant swish and clacking of cards on a table.

 _Tarot cards? Great, she must be into that crummy fortune telling nonsense._

But no, he paused looking down at the textbook in his hands. Who was he to talk? He was using a Shinigami's notebook to kill criminals. If that was possible, then who knew what other forces could exist out there in the greater world.

The thought was both terrifying and incredible.

"Ryuk" he whispered, his voice but a breath as it escaped his barely moving lips.

Behind him, the hulking dark form of Ryuk grinned widely.

"Yes?"

"if Shinigami's exist and can kill people, is it possible there are people out there who can see the future" Light's voice was quiet, but Ryuk could almost taste the boy's mounting curiosity and excitement.

Which was just as well, Ryuk always did like bursting the boy's bubble every so often, if only for his amusement.

"Dunno!" Ryuk's sneer widened toothily as he shrugged "I've seen many humans who've claimed to be able to see into the future from the Shinigami world, but I don't think I've ever met someone who has the gift. The only closest thing I can think of is when a human makes a trade for the Shinigami eyes, for then they can see the lifespan and when that person is fated to die. Also technically using the Death Note allows you to see history, but only because you are deciding how people will die."

"But it could be possible, couldn't it? Seers, foresight? The ability to see things outside of the norm?"

"Maybe, maybe not. Honestly, I'm not too sure? Why are you thinking of getting your fortune told?" Ryuk chuckled as he poked his head through the bookcase to watch Emi continue to shuffle her cards as if in a trance.

"Something like that" Light smirked, not even the slightest bit upset by the lack of information. He hadn't expected much anyway. Besides also if such an ability were to exist, it probably would not have manifested itself in that brat of a classmate of his.

Still what harm was there in playing with a few silly tarot cards to pass the time?

"Excuse me?" He smiled charmingly as he stepped around the bookshelf, and it took all he had not to laugh derisively as Emi squeaked and almost toppled out of her chair. As she did so, many of the tarot cards all but flew out of her hand and landed all about her on the floor.

"Shh! Keep quiet over there would you?!" a passing by student hissed on their way to the librarian.

"I'm so sorry; I didn't mean to startle you." Light rushed forward to help Emi who was sprawled on the floor trying to pick up all her dropped tarot cards.

"It's okay. I should've been paying more attention" Emi shook her head out only for her face to pale as she looked up at him. "Thank you Yagami-San."

"Uh…you're welcome I guess" Light pretended to be surprised though inwardly he preened himself off with pride at the recognition as he feigned a modest shrug. "You already seem to know my name, though forgive me; I'm not sure if I know yours?"

"It's Emiko, Minami Emiko. My friend Saito Yuki is in your class that's how I know about you" Emi smiled, her fake name rolling smoothly off her tongue with practised ease as she reached out to shake his outstretched hand before settling herself back at the library table, Tarot cards all collected.

"Ah yes I know Saito-san. She and I are always competing for the top grades in the class" Light chuckled, this time letting a little bit of smugness seep through his smooth exterior much to Emi's personal disgust.

 _Yeah, yeah lord it over us mere mortals Mister Peacock. It's not like you might be a serial murderer in disguise or anything._

And that's when it hit her. It almost hit her so hard that she could've puked right then and there.

If she was right about her little observations, then the boy she was talking with could potentially…be Kira?!

 _Oh my god! Oh my god! Okay, relax Emi relax and take it easy. Nothing's confirmed yet. It's just preliminary investigations. He could still very well be just a regular smug bastard and not a homicidal maniac. Remember what Dad used to say, innocent until proven guilty, and right now I don't have any proof... or at least no solid evidence._

"So how can I help you Yagami-san? It was you that called out to me just then, right?"

"Yes, and please call me Light." Light flashed another one of his most charming smiles and was satisfied to see the girl before himself blush ever so slightly. She might not like his personality, but she was at the very least physically attracted to him, and that was something he could work with. "Actually, I was just wondering if you were okay? You seemed a bit distressed back there while you were shuffling your cards."

"Oh, right the cards" Emi shook her head and giggled nervously "Yeah, it's just a little something I do to help calm down. It's been very stressful lately y'know what with the exams only five days away."

 _And what with half my family dying and or missing and a whole inbox full of requests for Tarot readings due tomorrow morning on top of having to submit my last homework assignment for High School. Yeah, life's just peachy._

She added glumly in her head. God when had her life become so complicated?

"I know what you mean. It seems like everyone in our year is starting to feel the heat." Light sighed, a genuine one this time. It had been a hard slog, prepping for his entrance exams on top of his duties as Kira as well as evading all of L's attempts to hunt him down. Some nights he went to sleep so exhausted he didn't even want to leave the cosy warmth of his bed.

In the corner of his eye, he could see Ryuk's smirk widen ever so slightly, his red and black eyes glinting eerily as they always did when he was amused. But what could the Shinigami be so amused about at this moment?

But Light didn't have time to observe any more of his strange roommates' behaviour as he turned his attention back to Emi.

"I couldn't help but notice those cards, they're Tarot, aren't they?

"Yes, and it's a new deck. I was going to wait to open it after the exams were over, but I couldn't help myself" Emi smiled anxiously, only to smirk "Perhaps you'd like to have a quick reading and see how you'll go with your studies?"

"I'm pretty sure I'll be fine with the exams, but I suppose one small glimpse into my future couldn't hurt. Why not? it could be fun." Light smiled oh-so-pleasantly as they both took a seat opposite one another at the table.

 _Oh great, looks like we've got a bit of an audience_

Both Light and Emi mentally rolled their eyes as they both noticed a few other students, glancing not so inconspicuously at their table.

Emi couldn't blame them. There was the ever-perfect Light, rising star and one of Japan's brightest young minds sitting with the weird computer geek, tarot loving geek Emi. Who wouldn't stare in fascination at the spectacle?

"Okay, we don't have too long till lunch ends so I'll keep it simple." She clipped professionally as she quickly reshuffled the deck "Three cards from the Major Arcana. One for the past, present and future. Now Light are there any specific questions you would like to ask? Anything at all?"

"Not really no. Merely what might be in store for my future I suppose" Light smirked with a shrug.

 _You and me both Mister Peacock._

Emi snorted under her breath as she finished shuffling and held the deck between her hands for a moment, shutting her eyes and giving an exaggerated sigh for effect. After a couple of deep soothing breaths, she opened her eyes, cut the deck and put the bottom half on top before quickly checking the new card on the bottom, being sure to keep it away from Light's curious gaze.

 _Okay, The Tower in an upright position. Hmm…looks like you've got a bit of a rocky road ahead of you huh Mister Peacock. Why am I not surprised?_

"Hmm," she hummed, smirking as she saw the glimmer of faint annoyance in Light's brown eyes.

"Alright, Light, let us see your fate."

She placed the deck onto the table and quickly drew three cards from the top of it, spreading them out in a horizontal line in front of him.

"Alright, here's the first card, your past." She turned the card over, and it took all she had to hold back a snort of laughter as none other than a rather gruesome skeletal figure with a scythe stared up at the ceiling, the word _Death_ written underneath in the scroll set into the decorative border.

Light meanwhile was scowling as right behind him, Ryuk started chortling with mirth at the irony. It didn't help that the skeletal creature in the black robe looked eerily like the Shinigami himself.

"No need to be so offended Light." Emi smirked with amusement at Light's surprise "The Death card doesn't always stand for death, at least not always. Usually, it's a sign that there has been a significant transition in your life that has started you on the path to change. Which makes sense because the action of dying is merely a transition of between being alive and being dead."

"I guess" Light conceded relaxing a little "I mean this last year of school has been a bit taxing. I've had to make a lot of changes recently that might affect my chances to get into university."

"Fair enough, which of course brings us to the present." Emi smiled politely as she flipped the next card over to reveal a tremendous kingly figure seated on a throne adorned with four grotesque goats skulls, a crown holding an orb and an Egyptian Ankh. Unlike Death, which had been facing Light the right way up, this card was facing Emi.

"The Reversed Emperor. Interesting…very interesting."

"Indeed?" Light quirked an eyebrow genuinely intrigued now.

"yes. The emperor on his own is a figure of power, authority, structure, and sometimes masculine energy, namely the paternal kind."

"Makes sense. My father is the Deputy Chief of Police" Light said quietly, looking at the card intently "But what did you mean by the Reversed Emperor?"

"Well as you've probably guessed different cards in tarot have different meaning" Emi explained, straightening out her glasses on her nose "however they also can have different interpretations depending on whether they're presented right side up or upside down. The Reversed Emperor, is almost the opposite of the normal emperor. It might signify an abuse of power, or the lack of power you have, or the fact that you might need to address issues with the most powerful figure in your life, usually your father. I'm not boring you am I? I know Tarot readings can be a bit complex."

"No-no, not at all. I find it rather fascinating. It looks like it would be an interesting new exercise in interpretation, observation analytical thinking."

 _Complex? Did she not remember who she was talking to? And lecturing me about the_ " _Abuse of power", Tch! If only she knew just how responsible I have been with the Death Note, she wouldn't be so quick to judge. It's not like she could ever do what I do as Kira!_

Light shook his head to clear it of the sneer threatening to creep over his face as she opened her mouth to answer.

"Funny you should say that because Tarot cards have been around since the late Fourteenth Century. They were originally used as playing cards in a game called Triumph, which was also called Tarot in France. They then became associated with the occult in western Europe in the late seventeen-hundreds. However, there are some who argue that the Tarot originated from Ancient Egypt, but no one's been able to prove it just yet." Emi straightened up, mentally dusting herself off proudly as she saw Light blink at her like a deer caught in the headlights.

 _That's right jerk; you're not the only one who's got brains around here!_

"Well I'm impressed, you do seem to know your stuff" Light nodded, genuinely impressed.

"My grandmother taught me to read the cards when I was little. It was she who also taught me how to shuffle." Emi shrugged reaching out to touch the last card. "Now would you like to know your future?"

"I would like that very much" Light leaned back in his chair, observing her hand as she flipped the last card over.

On it was a grim looking woman in blue, her eyes blindfolded. In one hand she carried a sword, in the other a set of scales. The light had no problem recognising the figure.

"Justice"

"Yes. Rather fitting for the son of a detective I'm sure. Perhaps there's a career in Law enforcement for you in your father's footsteps?" Emi smiled, but Light could not help but notice that it did not quite meet her eyes as she met his gaze. Her brown irises were cold behind the lenses of her glasses.

 _Those eyes, where have I seen them before? They look familiar…_

He thought to himself, though outwardly he forced a chuckle.

"Yeah, that's pretty much the plan."

The lunch bell rang, and suddenly Emi jumped.

"Oh crap, I forgot I gotta get changed outta this gear" she moaned in frustration as she quickly snatched all three cards from the desk and began shoving them back into their case.

"Sorry Light, I guess this is it for this session."

"That's okay. I also have to head to class, or I'll be late" Light checked his watch. Sure enough, it was time to head back to class. "Thank you for the reading, it was…an interesting experience, and a good break from studying."

"Glad you had fun Light." Emi nodded distractedly as she shoved the last of her things into her backpack before quickly rushing off, but not before calling out "Nice chatting with you, and good luck with your exams. BYE!"

"Bye" Light muttered, his face falling as he watched her back disappear out the door.

 _What the hell was that all about?_

"Well, that was interesting and no mistake. Who knew getting your fortune told could be so entertaining?" Ryuk sniggered as he watched his human shoulder his messenger bag and strutted out of the library.

 _Interesting is one way of looking at it._

Light frowned to himself as he quickly walked to his next class.

The girl, of course, had no idea that he was Kira, and as far as he could tell she was not involved whatsoever in his or the police's activities, and yet he could not help but feel unsettled as he remembered what he saw behind those glasses.

 _Those brown eyes. I swear I've seen them before. But where?!_

* * *

" I'm home!" Emi sighed as she stepped through the front door of her luxurious apartment.

It was two storeys high and decorated with chic black, and modern white furniture with small splashes of block colours and wooden embellishments spread out here and there to relieve the eye. It was tasteful, if slightly over the top.

Then again, Emi's mother Noriko, was a bit like that herself.

"Whew! What a day" she sighed as she removed her shoes and slipped into her house slippers before all but stumbling tiredly into the main hall.

She was grateful she didn't have to go to cram school today. She didn't think she had the strength to make another trip into the city.

"Welcome back dear." Her mother poked her head out of the kitchen, a mug of coffee held in her hand and a sad, worn but gentle smile spread over her face as she caught sight of her youngest daughter.

She looked tired. Then again neither herself nor her daughter had gotten much sleep since New Years. It was odd to see her mother home so early and already in her pyjamas.

"Hey, mom. I didn't think you'd be home yet." Emi mumbled as she hugged her mother, who squeezed her tight before leading her into the open plan kitchen area.

"I went early to the police commissioners office" Nozomi sighed as she set her daughter down at the kitchen island. "Then they kept me waiting for a good hour or two before seeing me. If you can believe"

"Oh I can believe" Emi snorted and despite herself, her mother chuckled softly, though when she composed herself her eyes were gleaming nervously.

"Anyways, I've finally managed to make direct contact with the Kira Investigation Division. I've given one of their officers my full account of the days I spent with Naomi and Raye before their…" her eyes suddenly grew misty, and she coughed. "…well before everything happened."

"And?" Emi frowned. She had never seen her mother looking so timid and meek ever before. Not even when they had to deal with Naomi's disappearance and Raye's funeral, it was very disconcerting.

"And…" Nozomi gulped tucking a raven lock of hair behind her ear. "And now they would like to speak to you."

"Huh? what?" Emi blinked, and her mother sighed.

"The computer's all set up in the spare room upstairs. The Task Force is going to call in twenty minutes, so I suggest you wash up and eat something before you speak with them."

"O-okay" Emi nodded wasting no time in grabbing a box of snacks from one of the kitchen cupboards, much to her mother's disapproval.

But for once Nozomi did not lecture her nor make any other commentary than to roll her eyes fondly as she said:

"I will be down here watching the news. If you need anything-"

"I'll let you know" Emi finished with a soft smirk as she leaned up to kiss her mother on the cheek. "Don't worry mom; it'll be fine."

"And make sure you wash your face and clean your glasses" her mother called as her daughter strode out of the kitchen.

"that girl" Nozomi shook her head her loving smile falling as sadness consumed her beautiful face. "She's a chip off your block Kaito."

Meanwhile upstairs, Emi could feel her palms sweating.

This was it. She was finally going to tell the task force everything she knew and once she spoke there was no going back. After today she'd forever be branded by a massive target on her back because once Kira found out (and she had a horrible feeling he would eventually) hers and her mother's days were both numbered.

After ploughing through her snack, she quickly changed into a pair of jeans and a dark purple hooded sweater. Then she took out a small cloth and made sure to wipe her glasses down promptly. The last thing she wanted was to be half blind when she sent the task force all her findings.

 _Alright, here we go!_

She sucked in a deep breath as she stepped into the spare bedroom upstairs. It was large, though still smaller than Emi's or her mother's bedrooms with a comfy queen-sized bed that was currently bare of any sheets, and fancy sleek modern furniture. Through a door on the far end was a small but luxurious en-suite shower and toilet that was also bare and clean.

Emi was quick to close it quickly before turning to the room desk where a computer, one of many that littered this apartment, was set up, open and ready.

She gulped as she heard the loud beeping and saw the call button appear on her screen.

 _Okay Emi, this is it, time to face the music._

She reached over to the mouse and moved it to click on the accept call button, only to gasp as a window filled the screen.

It was stark white, with a black letter L emblazoned across it in the Cloister Black font.

She had seen it once before, but that was on Television, openly challenging a mass murderer to an all-out war of wits. She'd heard about it from her sister and her father back when they were alive.

She felt her stomach almost flip in her gut as a scrambled voice spoke from the speakers of her computer.

 _"Good afternoon Emilia Misora. It's nice to speak you in person finally."_

"I-it's nice to finally meet you too…L"

* * *

 **So, there we have it, Chapter 2 is up, and Emi is speaking to L (but not seeing his face yet).**

 **For those of you wondering, no, Emi does not have psychic abilities or any abilities outside of normal human. I was tempted to make her psychic and not be aware of it till later but decided against it. I've seen too many OC's with special powers, and I didn't think it would work for her.** **She's very intuitive and observant (though nowhere near as genius as L or Light). She uses the information she finds on computers and then draws conclusions based on the facts. The Tarot is a personal hobby and a way for her to express what she sees (as well as get a little bit of money on the side). Also, she started off this story at a very opportune position to start investigating, though how long she can remain at an advantage? that i think is the true question ;)**

 **The meanings of the tarot cards I'm getting from online from various sources, so some of it is a bit of guesswork when it comes to finding common links between them. i.e. Tower usually means conflict, Death=change and sometimes, Emporer =issues power or issues with a father figure, Justice = justice/lack of justice etc. etc.**

 **Anyways that's enough rambling from me; I hope you enjoyed this chapter and pleased fave and review your thoughts.**

 **Cheers,**

 **FuzzyBeta**


	3. The High Priestess

**Chapter 3: The High Priestess**

* * *

 _Upright – Intuition, Mystery, the subconscious mind, a higher power_

 _Reversed – Hidden Agendas, the need to listen to one's innermost voice_

* * *

 **January 6th 2004**

 _"Good afternoon Emilia Misora. It's nice to speak you in person finally."_

"I-it's nice to finally meet you too…L"

Emi felt like all the wind had been knocked out of her gut.

L. The world's greatest, most elusive detective was talking to her… he was taking her statement personally! Well, almost personally, he was after all still hidden behind a computer screen.

 _Wait a moment, how can I be sure-_

As if guessing her doubt, the disembodied scrambled voice seemed to smirk as it spoke again.

" _I see you are still unsure as to my identity. I figured that would be the case, so I have sent you a file to prove to you I am the real thing."_

"What sort of file?" Emi asked suspiciously, hoping against hope that there was nothing perverted or possibly gruesome (or perhaps both) he was going to show her as she clicked on the message she had just received.

She was glad to see a long, formatted text document staring her blankly in the face. However, the closer she skimmed through them, she couldn't help but notice the eerily familiar way they were written.

 _But no…it couldn't be._

She quickly scrolled down to the bottom of the report where a real signature was scrawled in fluid cursive English.

Naomi Misora.

Heart hammering, she scrolled back up to the top of the page.

She was right; this was no ordinary case file. This was the official documentation of the L.A. BB Murder Case. This written report, she knew, had been delivered directly to L, and only L, who had then provided his official findings to the FBI and the rest of the world in his hand.

 _There's no way anyone else could've had access to those files._

She thought wildly as she thought back to all the times her older sister had told her about the case. Following the delivery of all data and information regarding the incident, Naomi had, as instructed, deleted all copies of the report and her findings from all her machines. The only person who now had the copies were L.

 _But could these be fabricated?_

She thought, yet even as she skimmed through the document once more, she knew it was impossible. There were too many details she already knew about that was in here. Unless Naomi had told someone else all these specifics, there was no way in hell anyone else apart from L could know.

As she pondered over her thoughts, she had all but forgotten that the world's great detective could see her through her web-camera.

* * *

Ryuzaki, aka L, chewed on his thumb thoughtfully as he drank in the sight of the young woman on his screen.

 _She sure does look like a little mouse._

He couldn't help but smirk as he watched Emilia Misora bite her lip in concentration as she read the case file over. He was glad to see that though she was excited, she was still wary. This was good, the last thing he needed was a witness that would blast their mouth off to anyone.

She looked even mousier with her hair tied into two small, haphazard messy buns on either side of her head, which bobbed slightly as she leaned back in her chair and sighed heavily.

 _"So you are L then?"_

"Yes," he answered quietly, observing her eyes. They were the same shade of warm brown as her older sister's, though a little bigger and far more emotional, filled with determination, lingering grief and slight fear.

L couldn't blame her. This girl could potentially hold vital clues to catching one of the most heinous criminals of all time. He was amazed she was as calm as she was to face him at this very moment.

"If you don't mind Miss Misora, I would like to question you about the events before Raye Penber's death and your sister Naomi's disappearance."

" _Of course._ " She answered hesitantly, then before she could stop herself, she blurted out " _But only if you agree to answer my questions about Light Yagami and the Kira Case."_

L blinked.

How on Earth had she known about Light Yagami?

True, L knew she went to the same school as the boy, perhaps she had noticed something odd about his behaviour. But that still wouldn't explain her knowledge about him being related to the Kira investigation.

Even as he stared at the screen before him, he remembered a couple of the incidents mentioned on Emilia's FBI file of how she had sneakily stolen information off her father's laptop without him even knowing until a week later.

 _She must've hacked Penber's computer when he arrived in Japan. He was the only agent she ever had contact with…hmm; she's even more resourceful than I thought…_

"I'm afraid that's classified information-" he started to say, but Emi just butted in stubbornly.

" _Then I'm afraid you won't get my answers"_ She straightened her magenta glasses to look the screen dead in the centre.

 _Would you look at that, the little mouse is getting pluckier._

L's smirk widened just a fraction.

He had to admit; she was terrible at hiding her emotions. Even to an ordinary person's eyes, she'd be as open like a book. Perhaps that was the very thing that made everyone else overlook her. Had he not read her file, he too might have ignored her in a crowd.

However, she had made it this far, so maybe there was hope yet.

"Very well, I shall exchange information with you about the Kira Case though I cannot promise I can give you everything. Such information as you know is highly sensitive, and I cannot risk it falling into the wrong hands intentionally or unintentionally" L said, fully aware of a small cough from behind his back.

"Excuse me a second" he quickly covered the microphone next to him with his hand and turned to see Watari looking worriedly down at him.

"Are you sure this is wise L?" The old man's moustache bristled as he frowned concernedly "She is only a civilian and knowing more about the case might endanger her further."

"Don't worry," L assured his trusted confidante softly "I'll give her enough to sate her curiosity and then persuade her not to pursue the matter. If that doesn't work, then I suppose I'll have to think of something else a little more forceful, but I doubt we'll have to resort to such desperate measures."

"I understand, but still, try to be gentle. She might look fierce, but inside she's still grieving" Watari nodded as his charge turned back to face the screen, though his old eyes still glimmered with worry and pity. The girl he could see on the screen was still so young and naïve and, great detective though he may be, L could sometimes be cruel and ruthless when he had to get what he wanted from other people.

The old confidant could only hope that Emilia Misora's involvement in such a horrendous case would not bring her or any other innocent like her to harm, whether it be by Kira's hand or L's by mistake.

 _Oh L, I hope you know what you're doing._

Watari sighed as he left the room and closed the door behind him.

"Forgive me" L murmured as he took his hand off his microphone by his laptop. "One of my associates was just delivering an update."

 _"I understand"_ Emi nodded quietly, her brown eyes nervous but resolute behind the lenses of her glasses.

"So are we in agreement? You will tell me what you know about your sister's disappearance and Raye Penber's movements, and in turn, I will tell you as much as I can, that is without placing you and your family in any more danger."

 _"With all due respect L, but I think I'm already in hot water by simply talking with you right now"_ Emi deadpanned with a small scowl.

"You are indeed" L agreed solemnly. "Now tell me what happened from the beginning. From what my sources tell me you met your sister at Narita Airport on December the fifteenth with her fiancé Raye Penber"

* * *

Emi bit her lip as she checked her watch on her wrist. It had been a good hour since L had first started questioning her about the events leading up to her sister's disappearance. She had never felt so drained in her life.

He picked her apart for nearly every detail, even moments that seemed utterly mundane. She had just told him about downloading the files from Naomi's computer and finding nothing from it, when he suddenly interrupted her, once again.

"And you're sure you don't have any more recent files than those?"

 _If you would stop interrupting me while I'm talking, I might've told you all about it by now._

Emi growled in her head, though she was quick to calm herself. No, she shouldn't be mad, he was trying to do his job thoroughly. Still, she might've reached the point a lot faster if he had just let her tell her story her way.

" _Misora-san?"_ L's scrambled voice sounded slightly strained, almost impatient.

"Gimme a second, I'm thinking" she mumbled waspishly, only to sigh heavily and run a hand over her face "No. I didn't find anything new at all. And whatever I found later was pretty much more or less the same as what I'd discovered earlier."

 _"Which was?"_ she could practically taste the detective's mounting excitement even with the voice scrambler.

"I thought I'd already said-"

" _You did, but it doesn't hurt to summarise your notes"_ L clipped waspishly.

"Okay, okay. I'll summarise. No need to get your panties in a twist, impatient old fart" She added with a mumble, only to blush as the disembodied voice snorted derisively.

 _"I heard that"_

"Whatever, do you want my summary or not?"

 _"Of course. Please proceed"_ L replied sardonically.

 _Oh god, he's worse than my father is-no-_ _ **was**_ _when he interrogated me._

She shook her head out to clear it of the brief stab of sadness, her hands reaching for an old deck of Tarot cards she'd taken out and placed on the table top. She began to shuffle them quickly, her eyes shutting as she let the automatic motions of her hands soothe her anxious twitches.

"Alright. So I know you sent my sister's fiancé to Japan to help investigate potential Kira suspects." She said, eyes still shut as she did an overhand shuffle of the cards "Most suspects trailed extensively by the FBI agents were at least older than thirteen, with many of the older teenagers of those families coming under the most scrutiny, after their parents of course. Raye was helping to investigate the Kitamura and Yagami households. He spent most of his time trailing the members of the Yagami family, especially their eldest son Light Yagami, mister peacock himself" she added with a roll of her eyes.

 _"Mister peacock?"_ She could almost imagine the faceless detective quirk a confused eyebrow.

"Yeah because he struts around everywhere like a proud peacock" Emi snorted "You should see him when he's at school, treat's it like it's his palace, and he's the benevolent divine king over all of us his lowly subjects."

 _"And what made you come to this conclusion about his character?"_ L asked though she could tell he already knew the answer even before she said it.

"Listen L, I've grown up in high society nearly all my life, and I know when someone's faking it. Light Yagami might appear to be the faultless gentleman with brains and humility streaming out his rear, but no one, not even him, can ever be that perfect and dull. He might smile and act sweet with us mere mortals on the surface, but twice today alone I've seen him glaring at me like I was dirt on the pavement, and the first time I hadn't even been talking with him?"

 _"Then what were you doing?"_ L asked, intrigued.

"I was talking with my friend Yuki. That's Saito Yuki; she's in Light's class" Emi's fingers tensed uncomfortably around her cards as the memory of that conversation washed over her. "Anyways, we argued about the Kira case in the news, we made up, but when I uh…left class to go to the bathroom, I could see Light Yagami glaring at me."

 _"I see…and did he say anything to you?"_ L's voice was almost deadly quiet, though it pierced through the air like a knife as he waited with bated breath.

"No, I was too far away when I first noticed him staring."

 _"And the second time you caught him?"_

"Was in the library, an hour later. He saw me shuffling my cards and asked me if something was bothering me? I was looking worried or something."

" _I see…And what were you worried about?"_ L enquired gently, or as smoothly as a scrambled voice could.

"I don't know…uh… Oh yeah, that's right, I was looking over the file's I'd taken from Raye and Naomi's laptops." Emi paused in her card shuffling to look at the giant L in front of her face. "I only had the reports from just before the twentieth of December so it wasn't like I could find out much. I mean, if I had access to his files after then I might be able to come up with something, I'm just missing too much information right now."

 _"Hmm…so what happened next with Light?"_

"Well, uh…I…uh… might have-um-read his fortune" Emi coughed as she quickly set her tarot cards back on the desk.

 _"You read his fortune?"_ L asked quietly. _"Hmm…What was the method you used?"_

"Tarot. I usually use Tarot."

 _Here goes Emi, just you wait. Any second now he's going to start laughing and making fun of you._ A snide little voice piped up in the back of her head.

She loved her tarot since she was young. She wasn't a superstitious person by nature if anything she barely believed in the supernatural. However, she found the whole concept of reading people and interpreting how they perceived the cards and their fate, to be fascinating.

Many others, however, those that weren't superstitious and a lot smarter, found her hobby childish and nothing more than an excuse to mock her weirdness and discredit her credibility. Undoubtedly L, being a master genius who faced facts rather than fiction, would grant her a similar reaction.

So it was with great surprise that she all but choked on her glass of water as the said detective suddenly asked:

 _"Was this the deck you used today?"_

"Huh? Uh, no, no it wasn't"

 _"Do you have the deck you used on you?"_

"It's in my backpack in my room-"

 _"Fetch it."_ L ordered sharply, not missing a beat _"Then bring it here and show me what you did while reading Light Yagami's fortune. Word for word if you can."_

"Uh…sure, okay" Emi blushed a bright vermillion, as embarrassment suddenly crept through her entire body.

The situation could not have been more laughable, L was the world's greatest detective, she was the world's lamest nobody. Why on earth would he care about a stupid silly tarot reading?

Whether Light Yagami was a suspect in a murder investigation, it wasn't like a silly tarot reading for fun meant anything, did it?

* * *

L squinted at his laptop monitor.

Emi Misora was now re-enacting Light Yagami's tarot reading for him, explaining her actions as she went. He admitted he had been somewhat sceptical at the start, but now she was well into explaining her craft, he found himself exceptionally intrigued.

 _So my assumption was right after all. This isn't some guff; you indeed are a very observant little mouse._

L chewed his thumb in concentration as Emi showed him the card at the bottom of the pile, on which was a picture of a tall dark, lightning struck castle spire labelled "The Tower".

 _"So I shuffled the deck and looked at the Shadow Card, I-I mean the card at the very bottom here. What this does it helps me discern if there are any hidden aspects that might influence the reading. Unlike the other cards I look at in the reading, I don't show this card to anyone else because-"_

"-Because you don't want to influence the other person's reaction to their reading." L finished for her quietly. "And what does the Tower symbolise?"

 _"Conflict, chaos, a sudden revelation or awakening."_ Emi listed off pursing her lips. _"Which makes sense considering Kira's awakening, and with him, he's brought nothing but conflict and chaos."_

"Was this a card you purposefully placed at the bottom of the deck or was it a random pick?" L asked, mentally preparing himself for the backlash that was sure to come.

Emi did not even bat an eye as she said: _"It was random. This deck's brand new, and I only opened it today, so I don't know cards well enough to position them when I shuffle them."_

"I see." L chewed on his thumb thoughtfully. So she was good at sleight-of-hand, that was interesting. "And the three other cards?"

Emi was quick to show him the three remaining cards she had set out face up in front of her: Death, The Reversed Emperor and finally Justice.

"Which card did he respond the most to when you flipped them over?" he asked.

 _"The Reversed Emperor. I mean, don't get me wrong, he did freak a bit when I showed him the Death card, then again everyone freaks out when they see that."_ Emi rolled her eyes _"However when I showed him the Reversed Emperor something was different."_

"Different how? What did you say?" L leaned forward intrigued.

Emi chewed on her cheek _"Uh…just the usual I guess. I mean, I told him that the reversed emperor was usually a sign of issues with a paternal figure in his life. That it was also a sign of power being abused or neglected within himself. I didn't make it personal or anything, but he looked furious when I said it, just like how he was angry when he overheard Yuki and I arguing over Kira earlier."_

"And which side of that earlier argument were you on? For or against Kira?" L scratched his chin though he was already aware of her answer before she even spluttered indignantly.

 _"What-the?! What the hell do you think? I'm obviously against Kira. He killed my father and brother in law, and he could be trying to kill my sister."_

"You still think that your sister is alive then?" L sighed heavily.

 _"Of course she is!"_ Emi folded her arms, her voice shaking a little as her eyes burned hot. _"Naomi's alive; I know she is. She is just laying low and searching for Kira without trying to arouse suspicion. Kira needs a name and a face, maybe she is just using a cover and-and if anything did happen it's because of him and-and…"_ she gulped down the lump in her throat as it threatened to well up.

She just knew her sister was alive, she knew it. But L's question had pierced through her head straight through all her hopeful thoughts to the logical side of her brain.

 _"Do you-have you-uh…"_

"We have no solid proof. However, from whatever we do know, it seems unlikely that she is alive" L's gut clenched uncomfortably as he watched her turn her head to the side so she could scrub hard at the tears that were starting to spill over.

Some might have called him harsh for delivering this sort of information so bluntly, but he felt it would be crueller to lie and raise her hopes, especially when the dreadful truth would inevitably surface eventually and burst her bubble.

" _I'm sorry, I-I just need a moment"_ She sniffed pinching the bridge of her nose in a futile attempt to stem the salty flow down her cheeks.

"No, please take your time" L murmured, looking down at the keys of his laptop.

 _Watari was right; she is still in mourning, no matter what kind of front she tries to put on._

He sighed to himself, thankful she couldn't see his face as shame bubbled ever so slightly in his gut. She blamed Kira for the horrors that she had seen, and even though she was right, L could not help but feel responsible in part for her suffering.

It was after all he that had requested the FBI's involvement from the start. He had personally asked for agents of the same calibre of Naomi, and now all of them were dead or worse.

Just because he kept an extreme distance from other people didn't mean he had no empathy.

He snorted glumly as he looked back on the screen just in time to see Emi give a small cough and straighten up. Her eyes were still a little wet, but she seemed more composed.

 _"Forgive me, I-I didn't mean to waste your time by bawling my eyes out like an idiot"_ She mumbled hoarsely, her cheeks flushing a little with embarrassment.

"It's alright." L assured her calmly, grateful she had stopped crying. He had never been good at comforting crying people. "This has been a difficult time for you. Truth be told I am impressed you have managed to keep your composure this long."

He was pleased to see her snort derisively under her breath before coughing.

 _"Now what? Are there any more questions you need to ask?"_

"A couple, but first I do believe I promised to answer your questions as well" L answered leaning toward the screen, "Though I can see from your expression that I might have answered a few of them already"

 _"What? Oh…yeah, I guess you have, huh"_ Emi quickly wiped at her nose with a small tissue. _"But I still have to know…Why Light Yagami? I mean don't get me wrong, given his actions recently he looks like the number one suspect, but how on earth did you first suspect him before you sent the FBI in to investigate?"_

"I'm surprised you have to ask. I would have thought you'd figured it out by now. You have already found out so much already" L smirked and was amused to see her scowl.

 _"What do you mean by that?"_

"Well, you said it yourself, Penber and the FBI agents were investigating families connected with prominent police officials. What do you think that tells us?"

" _uh…that Kira might be one of the police, or at the very least, very close to the police."_

"Good, now try and think of the reasons one might think of such an idea" L prompted as he shifted in his spot on the floor.

" _You think he's connected to the police because based on the killings thus far, he seems to have some knowledge that only the police could know…such as the names and faces of certain high-profile criminals that have been kept from the public? But if that's the case then he must at least have some form of access to the Police Databases if he's going to find all that data, or keep track of the outcomes of the killings that don't make it to the media and I doubt the ordinary officer would have home access to such information…oh…"_

"Oh is correct." L rested his pale spidery hands on his pulled-up knees as he observed the colour drain from Emi's already pale face. "I'm glad to see that you can grasp the gravity of the situation now. If my suspicions are correct about Kira, Light Yagami's intelligence and police connections automatically make him a dangerous suspect. With that in mind, I feel I must request that you cease to pursue the case any further on your own."

" _W-what? You want me to stop?! But Naomi-"_ Emi spluttered but L's voice cut across hers firm and sharp.

"Your sister's case will be looked into rest assured, and while I did not know her as well as you did I can be sure that she wouldn't want you to risk your life any more than you already have. Besides' it's obvious Light Yagami is already suspicious of you, and if he is Kira or is in any way affiliated with him, then it's too dangerous for you to continue to hunt him without the resources or the protection for both you and your mother."

" _But I-I was able to figure all this-"_ She tried to say, yet once again L doggedly interrupted her.

"This is not up for debate Miss Misora. Kira is too dangerous a criminal to track down, even for those who enforce the law. And while I agree you have done well so far, I cannot permit you, a civilian, to continue your solo investigation in this reckless manner, if only for the sake of your safety and the safety of others."

" _Alright! Alright! I'll stop investigating!"_ Emi snapped, her wet brown eyes flashing with a hot, furious blaze as she glared at him through her web camera.

 _Alike yet so unlike. How could I have not seen it before? True they don't share such a striking physical resemblance, yet that stubbornness…_

L sighed softly to himself as he once again began nibbling on the nail of his thumb.

 _Emilia Misora. Why do I get the feeling I'm going to have a lot of trouble with you?_

* * *

"I'm home" Light Yagami smirked as he walked back through the door of his family home and slipped out of his school shoes.

This was it. Time to smile for the camera.

 _Maybe I missed my calling in life. I should've pursued a career in acting._

He snorted to himself, only for his small sneer to soften into a genuine, gentle smile as Sayu quickly dashed into the small front foyer.

"Oh, welcome home Light. Mom! Light's home!"

Sweet, harmless Sayu.

How sometimes he envied his beloved little sister's naivete and innocence to everything. She had no clue of the peril he faced day in day out with the elusive L breathing down his neck. He held his tongue, for it was for people like her and his mother that he was trying to cleanse the world, if only so they could be safe from all harm.

He let himself relax briefly as he slipped into his home slippers and walked into the living space where his mother was cooking dinner. The scent of the curry she had on the stove was calming, and for the first time all day he found his mind blissfully blank

He made sure to greet her as affectionately as he could while yawning wide with tiredness. Behind him, Ryuk snickered at his human's charade, ever invisible to the happy family.

He wondered what his human had in store for this L character?

He didn't have long to wait as Light trudged tiredly upstairs to his bedroom, after which he locked the door and opened the shopping bag he'd just procured barely half an hour ago.

 _Hmph! Let's see how you deal with this L._

"Oh, uh-I have to-uh-find the-the cameras!"

Light could've almost sniggered as he caught sight of Ryuk's very red face in the reflection of his mirror. The youth couldn't blame the Shinigami. After all, the magazine in his lap wasn't exactly of the same _stellar_ quality as the rest of his usual reading material.

 _Wow, this is terrible, even by pornography standards._

Light rolled his eyes as he flipped a page to reveal another scantily clad female, for lack of a better word, model. It didn't help his mood when he caught sight of the small fortune teller's ad tucked in the corner of one of the other pages.

 _God, what is with me? Why can't I stop thinking about that stupid tarot card reading?_

He cursed himself as he tried and failed to push aside an image of a petite girl with big brown eyes half hidden behind thick magenta rimmed glasses.

 _Those eyes, I swear I've seen them before-they're so familiar…but I don't remember where-no-no stay calm Light, remember L's probably watching every move you make._

He couldn't help but grip the magazine a little bit harder as he examined the girl over in his thoughts.

Apart from the eyes, there wasn't much really that caught his attention. Behind that nerdy look, she had a sweet face he supposed. If she cleaned herself up, she might pass off as rather cute, though she'd of course, never reach the level of beauty or maturity Light valued in his type of woman.

However, it was clear for anyone to see that she had brains and for that, he could respect her, if somewhat begrudgingly. There was no other way to explain how she was able to cunningly dissect him in that Tarot reading after never having talked to one another before today. Also, during the final period, which just so happened to be Information Technology, he was able to check the school's database quickly and found to his astonishment that she scored the fifth highest in his year in several previous exams.

Again, she was far below the level he looked for in a girl, yet still, fifth best in one of the top high schools in Tokyo was no mean feat.

 _Though I doubt she'll ever be smart enough to deduce, I'm Kira._

"I found a camera in the air conditioner" Ryuk's call almost jolted him out of his spot on his bed, but Light was quick to school himself back into his usual bored expression.

 _So they put cameras in here. That means they've probably bugged this place as well. Even if it is the Japanese police, I didn't think they'd go this far. This must be L's idea, which means they've narrowed down their list of suspects. By now they must have figured out it must've been someone Raye Penber was investigating, or they wouldn't have gone this far._

"Man, these covers mislead me all the time" he grunted as he sat up from his bed and closed the dirty magazine in his lap. No sooner had he quickly deposited it into a safely hidden spot on his bookshelf, did he hear Sayu's voice calling from downstairs.

"Light! Come on; dinner's ready!"

* * *

 _I can't believe the nerve of that-that! UGH!_

Emi groaned as she lay back in her bed. It was the dead of night; she had long since ended her call with the mysterious L, promising him that she would drop the whole idea of the Kira case altogether.

She knew he was the world's greatest detective. She knew that he was way more experienced in crime solving and was probably right about everything he said…but still, did he honestly think she was that stupid to let the whole world know that she was holding her own investigation?

So far nobody else had known about her research, not even the supposedly genius Light Yagami had discovered her yet, though that was probably because he still thought her a dumb slug under his feet.

 _Well, I'll show him. I'll show them all! Light, L, my mother, my father…Nao-chan…_

Emi glared up at her bedroom ceiling, tears leaking from her eyes and staining her cheeks and pillow.

 _I'll bring Kira in, and I'll find my justice …you'll see…you'll see…_

* * *

Ryuk the Shinigami sat on the roof of the Yagami household, listening to the sounds of the night. His human pet Light had just settled down to sleep in bed after a long few hours studying and sneakily writing names in the Death Note. All achieved without arousing suspicion under the watchful eyes of L and his hidden cameras without detection.

Ryuk had to hand it to the human boy; he was more intelligent than most of his kind. Clever and interesting.

And yet for all his brains and brilliance, the boy had failed to see the resemblance between Naomi Misora and Emilia Misora, even when it was right under his very nose.

Many times, since he'd first seen the girl's name, Ryuk had wondered whether he should tell Light about her existence. After all, she was the little sister of the woman that could've done the young boy in, and from what Ryuk had observed of her behaviour, she was no fool herself. She could tell something was up with Light, and she was keeping a close watch on him.

 _She must know by now that her sister is missing and that Light might have had something to do with it._

Ryuk pondered to himself. It was so amusing, the games humans played with one another's emotions and minds. With the development of social reforms and technology, ordinary people had so much time on their hands that they could afford to be bored. It was no wonder someone brilliant like Light was eager to take the mantle of the Death Note.

With that in mind, Ryuk decided that he wouldn't bother to tell him about Emilia Misora. Besides, it was always so amusing watching Light squirm when he made a terrifying discovery.

 _It'll be like watching an elephant getting spooked by a cute little mouse. Hehehe! Speaking of mice and men, I wonder if that L guy knows about her? I doubt it but still-hi-hi-hi! This could be interesting, a new player in this game and neither L nor Light have any idea she might be a dangerous combatant._

He sniggered to himself as he crunched on an apple safely in the shadow of the rooftop. As far as he knew, this was the only place close by Light where he could consume his juicy red fruit in peace. It was just as well; he had a feeling it would be a while till he got another one.

 _Oh well, at least I'll be entertained._

* * *

 _ **January 14th 2004**_

L stared at the surveillance feed in front of him, chewing on his thumb intently.

The Yagami household was empty. Sayu and Light were both at school and their mother Sachiko was out buying groceries. Chief Yagami was currently still in this very hotel suite, taking the opportunity to have a bath and wash up, while there was nothing to watch on the cameras.

It had been nearly a week since he'd had that chat with Emilia Misora, and so far she seemed to be holding to her promise…as far as he could tell.

From what he had been able to determine from her movements online, she had since done a little more research on Light Yagami, though not nearly enough to garner any suspicion. Whether she had acted upon what she had learned he did not know. However, he suspected she hadn't been able to do much, especially not with the University Entrance exams looming so close overhead. He couldn't be sure of what she might try and do afterwards.

While she indeed was as stubborn and as curious like her older sister Naomi, the youngest Misora had a surprising streak of cunning and daring of her invention.

L chewed his nail harder in his mouth with mounting irritation. Emilia Misora was like an annoying loose thread on his shirt. The kind that appeared in the most tantalisingly irksome spot that you couldn't ignore and would always find yourself tugging at no matter how hard you tried to stop yourself after you'd first noticed it.

His scowl deepened ever so slightly as he remembered a small discussion he'd had with Watari earlier that day while Chief Yagami had been asleep. The detective's oldest carer seemed to think he might be jealous of their new witness, especially since she had been the first person to have a face-to-face chat with the most likely suspect in this case.

 _Pff! Me? Jealous of that girl? That's absurd. It's just dangerous that she a civilian should have that kind of contact with the suspect._

He reasoned mulishly in his head as the computer beside him on the couch suddenly pinged to life. Moodily he looked down to the screen as a message popped up on his communications application.

 _Speak of the devil._

His nostril's flared ever so slightly as he recognised the number attached to the message which read:

 _"I know I promised to stay out of the investigation. However, something came up that I think you might find interesting. I recorded it an hour ago at lunch. Hope you enjoy – Emi."_

 _That little-I told her not to interfere._

L scowled but quickly plugged in a small set of headphones into his laptop and listened intently.

Since there was no use crying over spilt milk, he might as well hear what the youngest Misora had uncovered.

* * *

 ** _One Hour Ago…_**

Emi sighed heavily as she stood on the roof of the school building.

She was all alone. Yuki was busy in the school library trying desperately to print off her last essay of the term before she had to hand it over in the next period, leaving her best friend to hang out on the roof alone.

Though there was still a wintery bite hanging in the January air, the sky was surprisingly clear. But Emi didn't mind. She liked the cold. She could wrap up and snuggle in a warm blanket in her bedroom with her laptop and a hot-chocolate when it got cold.

She sighed as she looked over the protective railing into the quadrangle below. Most people were still sitting and eating indoors, but there were a couple of jocks kicking a soccer ball around far below.

"Well, at least I got something done today" Emi mumbled as she looked down at the two phones she'd taken out of her pocket. One was an ugly black rather dull looking flip phone, and the other was her metallic purple phone with a little red and white poison apple key chain.

She quickly tucked her purple phone in her pocket, all the while turning over the new black burner phone in front of her eyes. It had gotten high reviews online for being one of the sturdiest models and was capable of recording semi-decent audio and visuals.

She quickly turned on the camera on the burner and was about to give it a cutesy victory selfie when she saw something on her screen that almost made her stomach flip.

Light Yagami had just walked up onto the roof behind her, looking a little bit ruffled as he panted.

"Alright, I think I lost them" he muttered to no one in particular

Unbidden, a warm rush of anger swelled in Emi's gut at the sight of him, though she did all she could to keep her face neutral as she quickly tapped a few buttons on the burner phone and set it to audio record.

She knew she had promised L that she wouldn't get involved with Light Yagami outside of normal interactions, but Emi was not one to squander an opportunity when it presented itself to her. After all what if he revealed something to her while they talked?

Also, L couldn't punish her for merely talking to Light at school as a classmate.

 _A burner phone set to record and interrogate a potential murderer in the open air? Dad would be proud._

She rolled her eyes to herself as she turned to face Light, a look of "surprise" adorning her face.

"Oh, Yagami-san I didn't see you there" she forced what she hoped was a pleasant smile on her face.

It took all she had to hide her derisive smirk as Light jumped at the sound of her voice. He did seem on edge like a frightened cat.

"Oh, Minami-san. Hello" he sighed in relief, but it didn't last long as he caught sight of Emi leaning back against the railing.

Though she was doing her best to look polite, Light didn't like the smug glint in her eye.

 _Little brat. Thinks its so funny that she caught me by surprise._

He growled in his head though outwardly he "sheepishly" grinned.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to disturb you-"

"It's okay, I wasn't doing much" Emi assured him "Is something the matter? You look a little ruffled."

"What? Oh" Light looked down at his slightly messy clothes. "Oh yeah, I was just uh-"

"Running away from your fan club?" Emi finished with a small chuckle. "Let me guess, Mitsuki and her gang tried stalking you around the place hoping for one last photo with the famous Light Yagami?"

"How did you-"

"I heard her scheming about it last period. It seems like half the girls in our grade want to snag a piece of you before we all part ways next week." She turned her back on him to stare out at the grounds below. What he didn't see was her reposition the black phone in her hand so that the mic wasn't covered by her side.

"I see." Light sighed and shook his head, though inside he was seething. It wasn't his fault he was so popular, and how dare this little geek snigger and smirk at him with those infuriatingly familiar brown eyes.

 _No-no. Stay calm Light. You've got bigger problems to worry about like L, those hidden cameras and wiretaps, and Ryuk-_

Light quickly glanced at the skies only to look behind as he caught sight of Ryuk's large shadow lounging on top of the roof of the staircase behind him.

"I'm not gonna be able to eat my apples up here huh?" the Shinigami moaned in melancholy as he turned over to watch the two humans "oh well, at least the entertainment should be amusing."

 _Amusing? What does he mean by that?_

But Light had no way of asking his questions, so he settled for striding up to stand beside Emi. She was looking down at the soccer game below, her brown eyes oddly distant behind the thick lenses of her glasses.

She looked worn, like a stone weathered by a century's worth of storms. Light found the expression more unnerving than her smugness.

"So what are you doing up here? Where's Saito-san?" he asked and was amused to see her jerk a little as if jolted from a reverie.

"Yuki's printing off her English Language essay in the library. I wasn't feeling so good, so, I came up here to get some fresh air," Emi mumbled but not before adding. "And to get away from all the other idiots."

"I know what you mean" Light sighed before he could stop himself. "I-I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm sure Mitsuki and her friends are nice and all but-"

"But she's a twit, and you'd much rather date a slug than go out with her." Emi snorted "You don't have to pretend to be polite. I know exactly what she's like, I won't judge."

"I know it's not any of my business, but you two don't get along well do you?" Light asked curiously as he leaned back against the railing.

"Well, we used to be friends in junior high." Emi muttered, "but we split just before we started high school."

"You don't sound that torn up about it" Light smirked and Emi shrugged.

"It wasn't a particularly close friendship. Between you and me, it was more along the lines that Mitsuki used me to get her homework done while she bullied others for her amusement. I gotta tell you it was a relief when I split from her posse."

"I can imagine" Light's shoulders relaxed a little. He didn't know what he was getting so worked up about.

Sure the girl was odd, but there was nothing so far that warranted his anxiety.

 _L's spying on my house must've made me a little jumpy I guess_

He reasoned though he didn't allow himself a full reprieve. As long as L was suspicious, he still needed to be careful that he didn't come off as anything but ordinary.

Meanwhile, beside him, Emi's heart was racing as she took advantage of Light's musings to quickly check her burner phone.

As she did, she briefly recalled the time her father had taken her out fishing with him while she had been visiting the USA during her school holidays. It was one of the few times in her life she'd ever spent entirely alone with him where he hadn't been yelling at her for something over his office desk.

He'd taught her a lot in those few hours on that little tub of a boat how to attach the bait to the hook, how to sit still and wait to reel the fish in when it was time. Back then she'd been a small, geeky, tomboy, too impatient to wait it out and reap the results.

Now she couldn't help but feel a pang of homesickness as she bit her lip anxiously.

 _Right, the worm's on the hook, now let's see if the fish takes the bait._

She shifted her position to mimic his own, heaving a huge sigh as she looked to the sky oh-so-wistfully.

"God what a day. Thank god it's sunny." She grunted, craning her neck up to bask in the rare beam of sunlight. "With all these exams, traffic jams and that serial murderer Kira running amok we could use a break."

 _Gotcha!_

Emi had to bite her tongue hard to keep herself together as she chanced a glance at Light's face beside her.

He looked positively livid with his flared nostrils and small sneer creeping up his lips. His knuckles were almost white as his fists clenched uptight as his eyes seemed to flash red.

 _Yikes! How long has that monster lurked beneath the surface? Dammit, Emi you know how to pick your dragons to slay, don't you?_

For an instant, Emi felt her stomach drop as she quickly looked away from him to avoid detection. If she had any doubts that Light Yagami was Kira, they were sure gone now. There was no way anyone who was innocent would have such an intense reaction to such a statement. Even a die-hard fan wouldn't look so nasty.

But then the moment was gone, as he forced a blank look of neutrality onto his handsome face as he asked:

"You're not a Kira fan I take it?"

"Not really no," Emi said before she could stop herself. "It's just-don't get me wrong; I'm sure his intentions for cleaning up the world of criminals is good and all but…"

She glanced sidelong again, gulping as she saw Light Yagami staring intently at her.

"But?" he prompted politely, though she could see his eyes gleaming brightly.

"But I'm not sure about this whole killing schtick that's all. It's…well don't you find it kinda scary that he can kill someone with a heart attack without anyone knowing where he is?" Emi finished with a small cough and a croak, feeling her heart lurch in her throat as if she had a live frog hopping around inside it.

She was relieved when she saw Light's tense shoulders relax again.

 _She's just misguided and scared by Kira's methods._

He reasoned in his head.

 _Once she understands, she'll see things my way. I must be careful how I phrase it._

"I guess that would be quite terrifying." He agreed quietly "As human beings, we often are terrified by the things we can't see and know. But that doesn't mean it's always going to be a bad thing. I mean, look at modern medicine. A few hundred years ago what we do now would've been considered evil magic."

"Yeah, but medicine helps heal people. What Kira does is the exact opposite" Emi countered quickly and was pleased to see Light pause for a second to consider his next rebuttal.

 _That's right. You can try and justify how killing is better than healing someone._

Unbeknownst to her and to Light's mounting irritation, Ryuk was chuckling darkly from where he was perched at the top of the roof of the stairs.

"Ooh! Looks like she got you there Light."

 _No kidding. I should've expected that given the example I used. But it's not over yet. I can still turn this around before I say anything else that sounds unnatural._

"I know, and that's why I agree with you" he nodded smoothly, a small charming smirk gracing his features "What Kira is doing by killing people is wrong. I was saying that sometimes what we don't know often can seem scarier than what it is. Maybe there's a perfectly reasonable explanation of how Kira does what he does."

"Yeah, maybe" Emi muttered quietly though inside she was pissed.

 _Damn, he's good, maybe I should-No! No Emi you need to back down now before he gets more suspicious. You saw that look on his face. If he knew you were trying to get, him to confess he'd have you hung, quartered and on the floor in cardiac arrest. No, I need to back off for now and try it again later…_

But when would _later_ be? What if after the exams they never saw one another again?

They both ran in such different social circles that to think they would even breathe the same air again after all…

However, before she could say any word on closing or continuing the topic of discussion, then did the door from the roof stairs open to reveal a boy and a girl about their age. Both were giggling amidst a flurry of kisses and tickles.

"Shh, pipe down or else we'll get caught" the boy hissed as his hands roamed his partner's back, one of them groping her behind through her school skirt.

"Well lookie here. It looks like someone's hoping to get lucky" Ryuk snickered as he hovered invisibly above the couple's head.

The girl was about to answer when she saw Light and Emi both standing on the opposite side of the roof, both suddenly feeling very awkward and sheepish.

"And that's my queue to go" Emi coughed as she quickly strode away from Light and towards the couple and through the door to the stairwell.

"Nice talking to you again Yagami-San."

"Nice talking to you too" Light scowled as he made to follow her, yet by the time he had excused himself past the embarrassed couple she was already flying down the stairs and out of sight.

"Leaving already?" Ryuk sniggered as he made to follow Light through the wall. "Such a shame and things were starting to get interesting too"

* * *

 **Back in the present…**

 _That foolish girl what the hell is she playing at?!_

L gritted his teeth as the recording finished playing in his headphones.

Interesting a conversation as it was, she still had made such a risky move.

If Light Yagami was Kira, and if he'd figured out she was trying to spy on him, then there was a ninety per cent chance she could die in an accident of his making.

L almost had a mind to storm over to the girl's apartment in person and lock her in her room until she had to go for her exams.

But the more attention he drew to her existence, the more likely Kira would figure out who she was and what she meant to the investigation.

Then there was the fact that she had managed to get close enough to talk to the suspect about the Kira investigation before he had.

True, no ordinary person would think that something was wrong with anything Light Yagami said; in fact, if it weren't for the youngest Misora's earlier observations even L might have overlooked such words.

But the fact that Light was so quick to come to Kira's defence and even quicker to justify himself to a virtual stranger was strange in his own right. Some might attribute it as him trying not to say anything that would go against his father's position as Chief of the NPA, but there was something about the way he spoke that did not sit right with L.

Perhaps if he had been there to gauge the physical reaction, he might know what was going on inside that brown head of hair…both those brown heads of hair, because even L didn't know what to think of Emilia Misora.

 _Who'd have thought one tiny little mouse could cause such trouble. Just like that old nursery rhyme Watari used to sing?_

He sighed heavily as he reached forward to pluck a chocolate covered strawberry from the coffee table in front of him.

 _Hickory Dickory Dock. The mouse ran up the clock. The clock struck one the mouse ran down. Hickory Dickory-_

He chomped into the strawberry.

 _Dock._

"Hmm," he hummed as the sweet juice of the fruit mingled with the chocolate in his mouth, easing a little of his irritation.

 _Emilia Misora...just what am I going to do with you?_

* * *

 **And there we have it the third chapter is up.**

 **So Emi has talked with both Light and L now, though neither seems to be quite sure about her position. L think's she's a reckless nuisance with luck on her side. Light, being the narcissist he is, sees her as just a weird girl who couldn't possibly have any chance of deducing his true intentions,** **Emi meanwhile is doing what she can to prove herself worthy of solving the case while trying to graduate high-school** **and Ryuk's just watching the show unravel before his very eyes and laughing at all of them.**

 **Will Emi's luck last long for her, now she's entangled in the battle between L and Kira? You'll have to wait and see, and as always review or fave if you enjoyed.**

 **Till next time,**

 **FuzzyBeta**


	4. The Empress

**Chapter 4: The Empress**

 _Upright - Fertility, femininity, beauty, abundance_

 _Reversed - Creative block, dependence on others_

* * *

 _ **January 18th 2004**_

Emi stared up at the sterile white ceiling, her eyes seeing but unseeing.

 _What the? What happened?_

Everything was so fuzzy in her head, and there was something plastic strapped over her mouth and nose-ugh! It was irritating, what was it? She could faintly hear something beeping continuously, the sound quickening slightly as her body shifted where she lay.

The blankets were uncomfortable and the pillow too soft, but the mattress wasn't too bad she supposed as she turned her head.

She saw the heart monitor over to her side, the green line pulsing in a steady hypnotic wave with every passing second.

She was so entranced by the sight that she barely noticed the nurse or doctor enter the room, shadowed closely by two men in dark suits.

All Emi cared about was where she was and how had she gotten there…

* * *

 _ **January 17th 2004**_

"Oh god, oh god! I'm late-late-late!" Emi squeaked as she rushed down the street.

She couldn't believe it! Of all the days she had to be late it had to be today, the day of the To-oh University Entrance exams. She had worked herself almost into a frenzy to prepare herself all last night.

She'd studied, packed her bag with all the necessary equipment, kept her clothes prepared and ready to put on and finally set her alarm to wake herself up early…only to sleep straight through it and have her mother shake her awake.

She'd gotten dressed in such a rush that she had to dash back two blocks to her apartment to pick up her pair of magenta glasses she'd left behind. Then someone had spilt their hot coffee all over her favourite sweater, white with pale pink sakura printed over the top, while she'd been standing next to them on the train.

On top of that, she had also somehow lost her best hair tie in all the commotion leaving her shoulder length brown hair to fly about in the chilly January winds. By the time she'd reached the front gates of To-oh itself, her hair was a frizzy mass of brown sticking up in all directions from where it peeked out from her beanie as she all but toppled face first onto the hard ground.

"Ow," She grunted as she scrambled to her feet, thanking her lucky stars when she checked her glasses and found not one scratch upon them. But broken glasses were the least of her worries today.

 _I must look a right mess._

She scowled as she checked her watch.

 _Fifteen minutes early, phew! Thank god I thought I was five minutes late._

Her whole body sagged with relief as she looked about herself. Several people were already filing into the building, but some were milling outside, classmates and friends wishing one another good luck before they all took the plunge.

Despite herself, Emi felt her heart sink a little. Her best (and only) friend Yuki was taking the Waseda University entrance exams in Shinjuku.

 _She must already be writing her first paper. Waseda usually starts their exams one hour earlier._

Emi sighed as she trudged forward to take her place at the end of the sign-in queue, doing her best to ignore the snide sniggers as other people spotted her frazzled hair and stained sweater.

"Boy who let in this kid?"

"I know, aren't the high school entrance exams in the next building?" a boy sneered to his friends as he glanced at her from the head of the queue. Emi recognised him at once to be from her year at school, though she didn't know his name or those of his friends.

 _Jerks_.

Emi scowled but kept her mouth shut as the boys threw out another joke at her expense. She was almost eighteen for crying out loud. It wasn't her fault she was tiny like a first-year junior high student-

"Excuse me?" a long pale finger carefully prodded her shoulder.

Emi's nostrils flared. She'd had a rough enough morning without people commenting about her appearance; she didn't need anyone else bothering her.

Forcing a polite smile on her face (though it looked more like she had a bad toothache) she turned to face the owner of the finger, only to blink in surprise at what she saw.

It was a young man, tall and lanky, with a shock of wild jet-black hair, so messy that it covered most of the top half of his face as he slumped heavily. His skin was deathly pale as if it had barely seen any sunlight in years and contrasted heavily with the dark circles under his strange jet-black eyes. Despite the chill in the air, he only wore a long-sleeved cotton shirt with very baggy, very shabby dark blue jeans and a pair of extremely worn out grubby trainers.

"I think you dropped this" In two of his large pale spidery fingers, he was dangling a metallic purple phone with a little poison apple key chain.

"Oh, uh...thank you" Emi gulped as he all but dropped the phone into her hands.

"I saw you drop it as you were running. Though I don't see why you needed to rush since you're already early for the exam" the stranger said glancing at her curiously.

"Oh uh-well-I-Uh-" she finally stammered out "I was just so late getting up and-and then I had an incident on the train and well everything w-was-well…you can see" she gestured to the coffee stain over her sweater.

"I certainly can" the corners of the stranger's mouth twitched upwards for the smallest of seconds as he watched the young girl before him fumble around to securely put her phone back in her messenger bag.

Even as she tucked the device away, she couldn't help but feel a fierce rush of de-ja-vu.

She could've sworn she'd heard his voice before…but from where?

Though his voice was surprisingly more deep and mellow than she'd expected, there was no distinct dialect or accent in his Japanese.

If anything, he sounded just like a machine even as he asked curiously:

"So which school are you from?"

"Daikoku Private Academy. And yourself?"

"Matsubara High" he responded smoothly, still in that robotic monotone. "it's a fairly small school, not like Daikoku Academy."

"Yeah well, Daikoku isn't all that its cracked up to be" Emi rolled her eyes, as she glanced back at the head of the queue where the boys from earlier were finally signing into the exam roster.

"You shouldn't pay much attention to what they say." The stranger murmured shoving his hands in his jean pockets "After all looks shouldn't have any bearing on grades."

"True" Emi sighed feeling herself relax a little. The guy was right; it didn't matter what she looked like if she put in the hard work and got the results.

"You're nervous" he mumbled, tilting his head like a curious dog as he examined her face.

"What? Oh, yeah. I guess I am a little. To-Oh is a top university; I'll probably be lucky if I even get my foot through the door" Emi admitted before adding "You seem very relaxed though. I'm guessing you usually score high on your exams huh?"

The young man looked faintly surprised at her for a second then suddenly he smirked.

"Something like that. But I've often found that exams aren't always a reliable measure of intelligence as much as real-life skill application."

"Oh I don't know, I think exams can reveal a lot about intelligence" Emi shrugged. "I mean the grades are one thing, but the way people answer the questions is just as interesting too."

"I suppose that's true" The stranger nodded quietly, and was about to open his mouth again when a supervisor suddenly yelled at the queue of students.

"Those of you who have already signed in please make your way inside. I repeat, those who've signed in must go inside and take their seats."

"I suppose I should head in then." The young man mumbled, though to Emi's surprise he seemed reluctant to do so. "It was nice to meet you uh…"

"Emi" Emi smiled holding her hand out to shake.

"Emi." The guy said slowly as he shook her hand, and Emi was amazed by how long and spindly his fingers were against her smaller digits. "It was nice to meet you. Emi-san"

"It's nice to meet you too-"

"Ryuga"

"Ryuga." Emi smiled as she let go of his hand "Well good luck Ryuga-san."

"Good luck to you as well…Emi" Ryuga mumbled as he shuffled off, his worn out, raggedy, trainers dragging a little bit on the ground with each step.

"Woah look what the cat dragged in" Emi's gut boiled angrily as she saw the jerks that had been mocking her before snigger maliciously as Ryuga passed by them. Sure the guy was strange, after all, who could wear so little in such cold weather, but at least he was somewhat polite when people talked with him.

Upon hearing the other boy's taunts he merely turned to stare at them with those piercing dark eyes for a moment, his smirk widening just a fraction as the boys all shivered and shrunk under his gaze.

"What a weirdo. Come on guys let's go" one of them ushered his fellows inside though to their dismay the pale form of Ryuga followed close behind them.

 _Well, at least he can handle himself._

Emi's smile widened as she moved up to the front of the queue and quickly registered her name, completely missing the way Ryuga quickly chanced one last glance at her from over his shoulder.

* * *

 _Well, that was interesting._

The detective L, smirked as he slumped into the exam room and took his assigned seat. He had almost forgotten that Emilia Misora was also applying for To-Oh. He would have thought with her skills she would have sent in her application for one of the top tech institutes overseas.

 _So…she calls herself Emi does she? I guess she does that, so she doesn't have to introduce herself as Emilia or Emiko lest someone discover her dual identity. Smart, very smart in this time where names are such a valuable commodity for a killer like Kira._

He chewed on his nail as he crouched in his uncomfortable exam chair, pondering over his conversation with the girl.

Now that they had talked face to face, he could finally see that she was perhaps more observant than he first perceived. The way she looked him over, the way she read his physical queues to figure that he was more relaxed than everyone…true she still wasn't quite as smart as him if she was so nervous about failing to get into To-Oh, but she had potential.

Had she not been a witness in his case, he might've enjoyed talking to her a bit more.

 _Emi…_

He silently mouthed the name as he tested it, enjoying the way each syllable rolled off the tongue.

 _It's a fitting name for such a small mouse._

And boy was she small. The first time he'd passed her by outside the hotel he barely noticed her height. Talking with her now, he was struck by just how much he towered over her even as he hunched.

 _No wonder her mother is so protective of her…even though she has proven herself to be quite fierce and cunning when the time calls for it._

L's smirk softened slightly as he remembered the angry look she had shot the stupid twits that had tried jeering at him as he had entered the building. The same boys that had teased her for her innocent appearance.

 _She knows what it's like to be ridiculed and bullied, that's probably why she has such a strong sense of justice. But she didn't jump in to help me because she could tell I could handle myself. The very opposite of Kira. He is entitled and uses his sense of justice to justify his childish need to win and be the hero._

He mused to himself as he saw her enter and take a seat in the back corner of the room furthest away from him, doing her best to ignore the nasty sneers and smirks of some of her peers as she took off her beanie and desperately tried brushing out her mane of brown frizz.

L scowled as he saw a girl beside Emi giggle and point at her stained sweater along with her friend. Emi tried to ignore it, but the detective could see the embarrassed flush over her cheeks as she tried to shrink into the corner.

 _Human beings can be such cruel creatures._

He sighed to himself as turned back to the front of the exam room. Now there were just five minutes to the start of the exam, and he had more important things to be worrying about.

 _Now Light Yagami where are you? Ah, there you are._

L's eyes narrowed as the young man that had been plaguing his thoughts of late, stroll into the room.

 _Hmm, she was right, you are like a peacock. Such confidence..._

The corner's of the detective's mouth twitched upwards as Light Yagami sat a few seats in front of him and set his bag down under the desk.

He was positively calm. Not a hair of his perfect head was out of place as he filled out his personal information on the front of his exam papers like the supervisors were instructing them.

Then the moment was gone, and L was forced to quickly turn his attention back to the front of the exam room as a loud stern voice barked:

"You may begin your exams now!"

* * *

Ryuk stared out at the exam room with his big dark red eyes.

Light had been scribbling all over his exam papers for the past hour, leaving the Shinigami nothing else to do but hover as he waited around for his human to finish.

However, he was far from bored.

"Ooh! Hello what have we here?" he hummed to himself as he flew across the room to a desk in the corner. There a small brown haired mousy looking girl with magenta glasses and a coffee-stained sweater was furiously filling in the last of her multiple-choice questions.

"Well if it isn't the Mini-Misora. Y'know you're a lot cuter up close, not as cute as your older sister but still, I guess that's what you get when you're the runt of the litter. Oh well, at least you're smart enough to keep yourself alive so far" Ryuk chuckled softly so that Light couldn't hear them. He may have been halfway across the room and invisible to most, but Light had better hearing than most people, a trait that seemed to heighten when he was nervous.

"So you've only just finished this second part here huh? Light's almost finished section three already. Say, you're looking a bit peaky. Maybe you should eat more apples, you know what they say about them keeping the doctor away…Unfortunately, it's not the same for us Shinigami." said Shinigami smirked as the girl quickly turned over her page to start on the first of her written essay questions.

He knew she could not hear him, but still, he was somewhat bored with talking to Light, and the girl was always interesting to watch. Plus she also happened to have a juicy red apple in her bag.

Ryuk could see it's shiny red skin peaking tantalisingly out at him from the shadows under the desk where her bag sat open and waiting.

It had been a long time since Ryuk had had a decent chance to eat apples and because the girl was at the back of the class, nobody would notice it if he ate the fruit under the desk, not even Light.

Silently as a shadow, Ryuk slid under the desk, his arm and head pushing through the surface of the wood and straight over the top of the bag. With careful long claw-like black fingers, he plucked the juicy red apple through the zipper and held it up to his black lips.

He knew he was breaking one of Light's rules about stealing apples in public. However, considering what a jerk the young human boy had been over the time they'd been under surveillance, Ryuk felt he was owed a small moment of mischief.

It certainly was entertaining when an hour later at the end of the first exam, Emi reached down in her bag for the apple, only to find only her lunchtime bento box, but no red apple.

* * *

"God, you've got to be kidding me! I thought I packed it in here last night." She grumbled as she picked up her wallet to go and buy a packet of crisps at the vending machine.

She only had a thirty-minute window to go to the bathroom and catch a snack before her next exam, Mathematics. Most of that time would be spent waiting in line to use the toilet and prepping herself mentally before she took the plunge.

Now she had to spend half her time waiting in line for the nearest vending machine as nearly half the exam takers lined up from both her room and the room next door.

"Great," she muttered as she peered around the queue and saw her favourite brand of crisps had already been sold out.

With a sigh, she exited the queue and went to the bathroom, which she got in and out of surprisingly fast as most girls were quick to finish their business and leave. The only stragglers left inside were either the nerdy girl's fixing up their hair away from their eyes, or girls reapplying makeup.

 _Seriously, it's an exam, not a beauty pageant. They're marking you on how well you do academically not on how well you can blend your concealer._

Emi rolled her eyes to herself as she strode back into the exam room.

"Minami-san?"

Emi blinked and glanced up to see Light Yagami at his desk. He was just about finishing eating a red apple.

 _Of course, he would be so calm and collected about everything._

Emi scowled in her head, but outside she forced herself to smile politely.

"Oh hello, Yagami-san. You're taking your exams in this room too?"

"Yes, but I came in late, so I didn't get much choice on the seating." Light frowned a little as he stared down at the brown stain on her sweater.

Emi caught his stare, and her embarrassed flush darkened considerably.

"Yeah…Someone spilt their coffee all over me on the train on my way here. On top of that, I was late waking up and I forgot my hair tie and my apple" she shrugged, doing her best to sound as nonchalant about the whole catastrophe that was her morning.

It didn't help when she saw Light's brown eyes twinkle with faint amusement as he said:

"Sounds like you've had a pretty hectic morning."

"Hectic is putting it lightly" Emi grunted doing her best to ignore some of the people starting to stare at her and Light chatting "So how did your first exam go?"

"I think it went alright. I try not to stress out about these kinds of things. How about you?" Light responded casually, but she could see he too wasn't comfortable with their newfound attention. Obviously, people were wondering how such a poised and suave individual like himself could even be associated with a mess like her.

"Well, I definitely stuffed up on that last multiple-choice question. I should've answered _A_ instead of _C_. But apart from that I think I haven't done too bad. Then again History hasn't been my strongest subject and Yuki was always better at it than me." Emi shrugged.

"Speaking of which where is Saito-san? I would've thought she was going to apply for To-Oh?" Light looked around but could see neither hide nor pink-tipped hair of the tall girl anywhere.

"She's taking the Waseda University entrance exam across town." Emi groaned.

"Hmm…Waseda huh?" Light smirked, "But if you get in here at To-Oh, won't the two of you be rivals."

"Maybe, that all depends on what subjects we want to take" Emi quickly checked the clock on the wall above the exam room blackboard. There were just six minutes to go until the next exam started.

"Well, it's nice to see you Light, but I gotta uh…" she fumbled for words to say, but Light just smiled at her.

"Yeah, we really should start getting ready for the next one. Good luck Minami-san."

"You too. Good Luck Yagami-san"

She started to walk away, not noticing the dark gaze of Ryuga watching her every move a few desks behind her.

"Maths here we come" Emi sighed as she caught sight of the fresh new exam papers already laid out on her desk waiting to be marked. However as she made to sort them out and fill in her student details, she noticed something small weighing them down.

It was a packet of crisps. The ones she had been eyeing at the vending machine.

 _But they were sold out, so how on earth did they get here?_

She frowned as she examined it, only to find a small note underneath where it lay. On it was a few words written in surprisingly neat hiragana.

"Good luck in your exams. I'm sure you'll do just fine – Ryuga."

Emi looked up and was quick to spot the head of dark hair far away as it turned to face her.

"Thanks" she mouthed at him silently with a smile and a small wave as he caught her eye.

He stared at her blankly for a moment, almost as if he was in shock at her reaction. Then she saw his face relax, and the tiny corners of his mouth twitch upwards to return the sentiment, before looking back to his exam papers in front of him.

 _Y'know what? He's right. I can do this. I know all my stuff, I just need to get over my nerves and just do it. I mean, if I can investigate a serial murderer's case on top of school work I can surely get through a stupid entrance exam._

Smiling, Emi turned her attention to the packet of crisps, catching sight of the two bitchy girls beside her staring between herself and the form of Ryuga which was quickly hidden behind the heads of several students.

"Can I help you?" Emi raised her eyebrows at the girls. She had been annoyed with them ever since they'd laughed at her at the beginning of the exams, though she knew for a fact from glances at their papers that though they boasted to their other friends in the room, neither was nowhere near good enough to get into To-Oh, even on an average mark.

"How can you smile at that guy?" one of them tilted their heads at her with a confused frown.

"Yeah, he's so weird." The other one sneered quietly. "I mean, have you seen the way he sits and stares at everyone?"

"As opposed to sniping and gossiping like the two of you have been doing ever since he and I entered the room" Emi clipped as she straightened her glasses to glare at both the girls who jerked back with shock "A word of advice, don't dish it out if you can't take the hit yourself. It only makes you look more stupid."

The girls opened their mouth to retort, only to be stopped short as a new supervisor barked an order for silence as the next exam commenced.

Meanwhile behind her, invisible to her senses, Ryuk cackled with amusement.

Who'd have thought such a little thing could have such a bite to her.

 _You better watch out Light. This little girlie is feistier than you think._

* * *

L's gaze was dark as they stared quietly at Light Yagami standing at the To-Oh University gates. He looked just about as calm as when he first stepped into the exam room, if a little more tired as a gaggle of admirers suddenly swarmed around them, many of the girls.

L couldn't blame them. Light Yagami was tall, handsome, smart, charming, a perfect gentleman, in short, a young man everyone thought was perfect.

No. Not everyone, the detective corrected himself as he caught sight of Emi trudging out of the exam building with a heavy sigh. Like most of the others who had slogged their way through the exams, she looked exhausted and did not even bother hiding it.

Despite himself, L could not help but smirk a little as he remembered their second break before their last exam. In thanks for his gift of the packet of crisps, Emi had gone out of her way to buy him a little bar of strawberry chocolate and leave it for him on his desk.

Even he couldn't deny he was surprised, and in all honesty, a little touched. As a virtual stranger, she had no obligation to return what most would've considered a strange gesture.

Of course, this only made his determination to keep her out of his investigation stronger than before. As he had proven with the FBI agents, Kira was not below killing the good and innocent to protect his hide.

Still, it was interesting to see her interact with Light Yagami in person. It was clear to any that bothered looking, that she wasn't fooled by her classmate's mask. However, there wasn't much she could interrogate him about without putting herself in the line of fire. Already Light was suspicious about her, though he too still seemed to have no idea of her true intentions.

 _Her social anonymity and use of multiple names is an effective shield for her after all._

L shoved his hands in his pockets as he quietly slipped into the shade of a nearby tree, watching her clumsily stumble towards the gates where Light stood with his admirers.

 _Such worlds apart._

He mused, his dark gaze hardening once more as Emi forced her tiredness down to push a polite smile at Light as she passed him and his posse.

"Goodbye Yagami-san! I hope everything goes well."

"Same to you." Light smiled stiffly but was quick to relax when he saw who had suddenly addressed him "Who knows maybe we'll see each other around campus" he added with a small smirk.

"Who knows? Maybe" Emi snorted before giving him a small wave. "Anyway, have a good holiday"

"You too. Goodbye Minami-san!" Light waved back, much to the surprise of his admirers around him.

"Who was _that_?" a pretty but snobby looking girl sniffed with distaste at Emi's back.

"A classmate from school." Light's polite perfect smile was back on his face. "Now what were we talking about?"

L chewed on his nail hard as he stared intently at Light's face as he glanced through the corner of his narrowed eyes at Emi as she turned a corner and out of sight.

Was it just his imagination, or had the detective seen the boy's brown irises flash red for the smallest of seconds?

 _It could just be the rarefaction of light from the sun in his eyes._

L mentally shook himself. However, he couldn't suppress the shudder that ran up his spine.

Something was wrong. L could feel it deep down in his bones.

Whether he was or was not Kira, there was just something not right about Light Yagami. But what was it?

His eyes focused on Emi as she suddenly stopped underneath the archway her body all tense as her phone rang in her pocket.

 _Hmm…what's going on here?_

L started to move forward, but before he could even move one step, his phone rang in his jeans.

"Moshi-Moshi" he replied swiftly and quietly "Ah Watari what is it? Have you found anything? Uh huh…what?! Noriko Midori's been shot?!"

"Wait-Minami-san-there's traffic-MINAMI-SAN!"

 _SCREECH! CRASH! THUMP!_

The sound of the crash mingling with the screams of fright was deafening as L's head whipped up his black eyes wide with horror.

"Oh no…" his heart sank, and his blood turned to ice as he rushed forwards along with the crowd of students towards the road. "Excuse me, pardon me."

 _Isn't one of these idiots going to call for help?!_

L almost shouted as he pushed his way past the mob, some of whom were taking pictures or quickly texting friends to tell them what happened.

"-that car came out of nowhere-"

"-what was she doing running across the road like that?"

"Oh god, it looks like that guy is giving her CPR-"

L's eyes widened as he finally pushed himself to the front of the crowd only to feel his gut all but vanish.

Emi was lying on the ground, sprawled a few metres away, Light Yagami pressing the heel of his palm repeatedly into her unmoving chest and cursing under his breath.

"Come on Minami-san, breathe! Breathe goddammit! HAS SOMEONE CALLED AN AMBULANCE?!"

"Already called, they're on their way" A young male student a couple of feet away from L called, his face pale and his voice shaken. "Hey, where's the car?"

"I think it drove off?" someone else piped up. "It was a blue car wasn't it?"

"A hit and run? Those bastards how could they-"

 _Bastard is right_

L's eyes scanned the area, but just as the students had said, there was no sign of the offending vehicle. The detective could've punched something.

 _I should've kept closer watch! DAMMIT!_

Meanwhile above the unconscious body of the girl, an invisible Ryuk was chuckling.

"Wow! Now this was a surprise and no mistake"

"Shut up you're not helping" Light grunted under his breath as he gripped the girl's chin with the pistol grip and leaned down to perform mouth to mouth.

She might have been a weird and unfortunately observant pain in his side, but the girl was not his enemy. Not to mention that if he did what he could to save her life in this horrible accident, he would look even less suspicious to L and the police.

"Y'know she does look pretty wrecked, why not just leave her be? Or better yet use the Death Note, put her out of her misery-" But Ryuk quickly shut his mouth as Light shot him a filthy glare, the very same glare he had spared when seeing L's screen image appear on his television for the first time.

But the glare was quick to vanish as Light heard a small puff of air close by his ear.

"Come on Minami-san, that's it, just keep breathing." he almost pleaded as he placed a hand on her chest. Through her sweater, he could feel her heart beating faintly but firmly.

"Mom…" a small voice whimpered, the sound almost drowned out by the wailing of approaching ambulance sirens, which bathed the area in blue and red lights.

"Don't worry Minami-san; the ambulance is here. You're going to be fine" Light winced as he looked down the rest of Emi's body and saw one of her arms twisted in the wrong direction. Her brown hair too was stained with blood from where her head had hit the pavement, mingling with the shattered lenses of her glasses.

Her bag, which she had on her, was thankfully still all secured and shut tight. The only thing that had been missing was her half decimated magenta phone, which was lying a foot away from where her damaged arm was twisted.

Quickly snatching it up before the approaching gurney could crush on it, Light quickly tucked the ruined device into the girl's bag and held it tight to him as he walked up to address one of the paramedics.

Somewhere behind them, L could feel his chest constrict a little as he watched the young Yagami boy hop into the back of the ambulance with the paramedics, carrying Emi's bag over his shoulder.

During that time he had placed the chip packet on her desk, L had been quick to check the youngest Misora's bag. To his surprise, she had not taken her laptop or any of her tech equipment with her to the exam.

When he had first noticed that he had been annoyed, as he had been hoping to set a bug on her device to keep track of her movements far more closely. Now he couldn't have been more grateful for her forgetfulness and clumsiness that morning. If Light Yagami was Kira, and if he did suspect Emi, there wouldn't have been anything stopping him from looking through that computer now and finding out all she knew of him.

 _You do have the strangest luck miss Misora…even if it does come at a great price._

L thought sadly as he looked back down to his phone. Sometime in the commotion, Watari had quietly hung up the phone on his end.

Silently slipping into the shadows of the still bustling crowd of terrified onlookers, L quickly redialled his retainer's number.

"Watari, if you could send a car to pick me up. Also, set the computer to search for the name Emiko Midoori at all hospital emergency wards. NOW!"

* * *

 _ **January 18th 2004**_

Tears streamed down Emi's cheeks as she continued to stare up at the ceiling of the hospital room.

She could remember it now…all of it…the exams, the stress the phone call…

That horrible phone call…

 _Mom…mommy…She's not dead she can't be…_

"Minami-san, you've got visitors" the nurse looked down on her gently, but Emi shut her eyes and shook her head.

No. there was no way she could deal with people right now. She didn't want visitors, she wanted her mom. She wanted Naomi. Heck, she wouldn't have minded it if her damned dad were there -

She gasped in pain as she tried rolling to her side, almost crushing her arm which she noticed was in a heavy cast and sling.

"I'm sorry Minami-san, but you'll have to remain on your back, for now, you're still very tender." The doctor reprimanded her gently; the nurse turned the whimpering girl back over onto her back.

As she was settled in the doctor faced the two men in suits. One of them was tall and stern with black and grey hair and moustache and glasses and wearing a brown suit. The other was of similar height and with a short mop of black hair. Unlike the older man, his face was youthful and more innocent even with the sad frown, that only seemed to deepen as he and the older man were ushered outside the private ward.

"I'm sorry Chief Yagami but as you can see she might not be in any fit state to answer your questions."

"We understand" the older man, Chief Yagami, sighed heavily "What is the extent of her injuries?"

"One punctured lung, four broken ribs, a broken arm, a large laceration on the back of the head and multiple bruises all over the rest of her torso. Thankfully none of the injuries should be life-threatening. She will have a scar over the back of her head but that can easily be hidden. Apart from that, this young lady's been very lucky. The way she was hit, she could've ended up a lot worse, maybe even dead."

"I don't know, getting hit by a car after finding out your mother was killed is pretty terrible luck in itself" the young man muttered under his breath.

"Matsui" Chief Yagami hissed angrily, as the Doctor quirked an eyebrow at them.

"Her mother was killed? Hmm…well that explains the severe emotional distress she has been under" he mumbled darkly "I take it you'll be putting her under police custody then?"

"It is most likely yes. But until she's ready to be discharged, we will be placing her under police protection within the hospital as well. If that is agreeable with you and your staff?" he added politely, but the doctor just waved him off.

"As long as your work is carried out discreetly as possible and as long the board approves I'm all for the protection of our patients. Now if you'll excuse me, gentlemen, I have a patient to look after." the doctor sniffed waspishly.

"Of course. We will come back tomorrow to talk over the details of Miss Minami's protection. In the meanwhile, we will have one of our policemen stationed outside her ward"

"Yes, yes do what you need to" the doctor waved them both off as he turned on his heel and marched back into the ward.

"Well he was pleasant" Matsuda mumbled sarcastically.

"He's just doing his job Matsuda, just as we're trying to do ours. It can't be easy for him to deal with such a convoluted and emotionally draining case such as this." Chief Yagami looked at his junior sternly.

"Yeah…thank god your son was there to revive her before the ambulance came" Matsuda sighed as the two of them trudged down the length of the hallway. "How is he holding up? I can't imagine how he must be feeling having had to see such a horrific accident especially when it involved one of his classmates."

"Yes, he's quite shaken up by the whole ordeal" Chief Yagami nodded sadly, remembering just how badly his son's hands had trembled when he'd come to pick him up from the hospital the night before.

He could only hope that this noble act would relieve some of the suspicion L bore towards him. However even as he left the hospital with Matsuda in toe, Chief Soichiro Yagami knew deep down, that it would never happen.

After all, when would the world's greatest detective ever give up so easily without a fight?

* * *

"Light? Hey Light? Are you in there?" Ryuk the Shinigami waved his hands in front of his human's vacant eyes.

But Light didn't even notice him.

He was sitting at his desk, staring blankly at his computer screen, hand stilled on his mouse. All the blinds to his room were shut, so that his entire bedroom was almost dark, save for being lit by the single desk lamp to his right.

He'd been waiting all night and all morning to hear news about Emiko Minami's accident and so far he'd heard nothing. Apart from the tiny blurb on the news about her accident, there really was nothing to go by. Everything had been drowned out by the new biggest crime, the murder of famous socialite Noriko Midoori.

According to reports, she was killed after walking in on armed and masked gunmen ransacking her apartment. She'd barely stepped into her home when the guns were turned upon her and shot without mercy. The police had arrived soon after, but by the time they and the paramedics had arrived it was too late. She was dead and the gunmen were gone, though from the police report's Light had pulled from his father's computer they didn't seem to have taken anything even as they had laid waste to everything in the house.

Usually, Light would have been all over this kind of case. Such a high profile band of killers were always high on Kira's hitlist.

But no matter how hard he tried to focus, his mind couldn't help but wander back to the accident from yesterday. He was so distracted that he hadn't even noticed his computer had automatically powered down to sleep mode.

"I could've killed her Ryuk" he mumbled quietly making his hyperactive invisible companion stop in his tracks. "She was lying there unconscious…I could've just walked away and let her die"

"And so what?" Ryuk scowled irritably, hoping against hope that the boy wasn't finally turning chicken on him just yet. "You hold the power of life and death with the Death Note already, what difference does it make if you killed the girl with the street or you just left her to die?"

"It makes all the difference Ryuk." Light snapped. Of course, the Shinigami wouldn't understand "The difference was that unlike with the Death Note, I was there. I could've pretended to panic and have no idea of what I was doing, or given up before I had even given it a go-"

"Ah…I see" Ryuk's shark-like mouth curled into a sneer as he floated to loom over his human's back like a sinister shadow "This isn't about you crapping out because you were scared of letting her die…You're spooked because you actually wanted to kill her…You wanted to know what it would be like, to hold life and death in the palm of your hand. Because the Death Note can only bring you so close to killing someone. Sure it's fun to write down a person's name and watch them die, but it's another to dangle them in the palm of your hand and push them into the brink of oblivion yourself. And the worst part is, that it's only too easy to achieve-"

 _Slam!_

"That's enough" Light snapped, his brown eyes flashing red as he glanced at Ryuk's reflection in his now dark computer screen. "Yes, you're right, I was curious to see how it would feel to kill someone, but I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'm not a murderer! I am justice. I am Kira, and Kira does not kill the innocents, he judges the evil. If I am to keep myself from falling into that trap of becoming a murderer, I'm going to have to do better to keep myself distanced from such events like this again. Which is why I'm going to ask you not to try to interfere again like you tried doing today. The last thing I need is you influencing my decisions just because you're bored and want to see something interesting"

" _Me_? Influence _you_?" Ryuk sniggered "Now why on Earth would I do something like that? Besides, we both know that you have been wanting to kill that girl long before her little accident, haven't we?"

The Shinigami chuckled, a dark, malicious sound that filled the air in the dimly lit room like the haunting sound of nails scratching on the inside of a coffin.

The sound was almost deafening to Light as he clutched his hands around his ears, doing his best to drown the horrible noise out.

No, he had to be strong. Ryuk was testing him to see if he would fall into step with his wicked fantasies like so many of the previous Death Note carriers had possibly done. If Light just stayed true to his goals and his morals, he could push through this and become the God the world truly deserved.

Even as he managed to calm his breathing and force the horrible laughter of the Shinigami from his head, the young man had to admit one thing…Emiko Minami was proving herself to be a hazard, and Light couldn't afford to have any more enemies with L and the police already on his trail.

She was too observant and curious for her own good, not to mention she had this annoying way of getting under his skin even when she wasn't with him, much like how she was doing now.

But she wasn't a criminal so he couldn't just kill her? And she hadn't made any suspicious move against him yet to prove herself an enemy…yet. So then what could he do to eliminate her as a threat?

 _But what if she wasn't a threat?_

His lip curled as he looked back up to his blank computer screen. From what he had learned of her at school, she was very talented with computers and hacking. Of course, he was a genius who was pretty good with computers himself, but what with L keeping tabs on all his actions recently it was too dangerous for him to use any tech for anything outside the normal activities.

Besides, if L could amass tech support, why shouldn't Kira have similar support too? Fight fire with fire.

Of course, he'd have to test her skills and make sure she was up to the task, and if he needed to keep her in line, he could always work his charms on her as he could so many other girls. And if that didn't work she anyway now owed him her life. After all, it didn't matter where her _morals_ lay, she would have to do what he said until her debt was paid. Hopefully by the time that would have come to pass he would have enough dirt on her to either force her to keep her mouth shut, or he'd kill her with the Death Note, which ever was easiest at that point in time.

He sighed as his phone rang from his side.

"Moshi-Moshi? Oh hey, Dad, what's up? Oh, you're at the hospital with Minami-san? How is she? Is she alright? What did the doctor say?"

Ryuk, who had stopped cackling and was now reclining on Light's bed, perked his ears up to listen intently to the conversation. Was it just him or was Light sounding even more worried than before? Sometimes it was hard for him to tell if the boy was acting or not; he was such a deceitful little swine.

"oh…Okay, that bad huh? So I guess I won't be able to come in and check in on her today huh? Okay, I guess I can come tomorrow. Are you sure she's fine? No-no Dad I'm doing alright. Emi's my friend, and I want to make sure she's okay."

"Oh really? Well isn't that sickeningly sweet." Ryuk sniggered, but Light ignored him as he finished the call.

"Alright, okay, keep me posted. And if there's anything you need me to remember I'm now free. Okay, goodbye, Dad." Light hung up the phone and his face twisted into a sinister smile as he turned back to his Shinigami Companion.

"Come on Ryuk, let's go."

"Hmm? Go, go where? The grocers, oh can we get some more apples?!" Ryuk suddenly bounced excitedly into the air.

"We may, but first a visit to the flower shop" Light grabbed a sweater and coat from his wardrobe.

"Flower shop? Why a flower shop?" Ryuk frowned in confusion, but then it quickly dawned on him "Oh wait I see, you're going to send them to little miss Minami-san?"

"Of course. That's what you do when your friend is in the hospital recovering from horrible injuries isn't it?" Light smiled oh-so-innocently.

"Ah, but she's not your friend, is she? I mean you've barely even spoken to her, what, a couple of times?" Ryuk hovered after him, stretching out his body like a deformed marionette.

"Not now she isn't, but she will be" Light's eyes glinted as he opened the blinds to his room and looked out onto the grey skies beyond.

 _Emiko Minami…It looks like you and I are going to see a lot more of one another from now on._

* * *

"L?" Watari glanced worriedly at his charge, who was sitting alone at the lounge of the hotel suite.

He had been seated for a few hours now on a couch, staring at the three small screens in front of him, his eyes barely blinking at all.

On all the screens, he could see three different angles of a small but cosy private hospital ward, wherein a young girl was lying hooked up to several machines and drips.

She had been clumsy but full of life, her cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment, and her brown eyes lit up by a bright, curious light. Now she was lying there, partially comatose, her skin deathly pale under all the bruises like a half-dead corpse as she whimpered and moaned in pain and sorrow.

It was a frightening contrast to the sweet if flustered bundle of life he'd met to barely twenty-four hours ago.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned back to see Watari looking worriedly down at him.

"L you should get some sleep. You need your rest after that blood donation you gave last night"

"I'll be fine. Besides its still early stages and we don't know if she might need another. O-Negative isn't an easy blood type to match"

L grumbled as he swatted his companion off and he rubbed the inside of his elbow. Being an O Negative himself, he knew very well the hassles of having a rare blood type. Able to give everything he could to others, but unable to receive anything from anyone else unless they were the same.

Almost exactly like everything else in his chaotic, exhausting life.

He huffed turned back to look at the third screen which was looking at the room from the perspective of the potted plant placed by the small secured window nearby the bed. From it, he could see the bag of dark red blood dangling above the young girl's head as a clear plastic line fed its contents into her arm.

It was the least he could do, considering he had been too slow to stop that car hitting her, or too slow to revive her before Light Yagami could reach her.

Even now the memory still made the blood remaining in his tired body boil.

It wasn't because he'd been too slow to act first, though that still burned angrily like acid to his pride.

No. It was because, in the most twisted and horrible turn of fate, L's one good lead in his investigation, was now indebted to his biggest suspect.

If Light Yagami indeed were Kira like he suspected, he surely wouldn't hesitate to make use of this new little toy. Emilia Misora might hate Kira with all her heart, but now she wouldn't have much choice but to help him lest she wanted to die at his hands before her debt was repaid.

 _How could I let this happen? No-no. There's no point in crying over spilt milk. The question is what can I do about it? If Light Yagami is Kira, then the closer I let him get to Emi means she'll be in danger of him discovering who she is. He'll find out about Naomi Misora, the FBI and all her notes about his involvement with Raye Penber and he'll discover that recording, and then he'll probably kill her…or worse…use her and then dispose of her._

L's hand clenched into a fist on his knee as a shiver ran down his spine.

No. No there was no way he could let that happen. He had to find a way to stop Light Yagami getting through to Emilia Misora first. But how? How was he going to do that?

Emi was still in no fit state to be moved anywhere, and it wasn't as if L could bar Light from seeing her. It was him after all who had saved her from the accident.

 _What am I doing? I'm getting too worked up about this. No L, take a step back and take a deep breath._

With a deep shuddering breath, he started chewing frantically on his nail as he thought hard.

 _If I can convince Chief Yagami to chaperone his son on his visits, perhaps I can limit the amount of time Emi spends with him. Yes, that could work. She is going to be under tight police supervision after all._

Yes, that would have to be the course of action to take. He had to let Light Yagami meet with her while she was in the hospital. To stop him would be too suspicious. He'd have to make sure Light's father kept him at bay until L was ready to move her to a safer location.

In the meantime, L had to look at Noriko Midori's murder. He didn't care what the police thought, her mother's death was no tragic accident. Why break into such an influential woman's home in the middle of the day, not steal anything and shoot her dead execution style?

And then there was that hit and run in front of the University. The culprit's dark blue car had been parked there all day since before L himself had arrived early to take the exam. The windows were tinted, so he hadn't been able to see who was inside. If someone had been casing the joint, neither he nor anyone else would've noticed unless they had infrared sensors.

And that phone call Emi had received about her mother. He'd already looked at the recording from the phone company, but no one could identify the number. It didn't belong to the police, the hospital or any emergency service that had any knowledge of her mother's murder and nobody could recognise the voice.

Had it not been for the fact that Noriko Midoori was an innocent civilian, L might have thought this was Kira's doing. But Kira wasn't so messy. Kira was clean, precise. He or she only killed the one person they needed to. Very rarely had anyone apart from the victim been harmed in any of their murders.

So who then wanted Noriko Midoori and her daughter dead?

 _Hmm…Emi and Naomi's father was a prominent figure in the FBI; he must have built up quite a list of enemies that would have wanted him dead. But he's already been killed by Kira, so that means that whoever committed the murder either has a vendetta against the whole family, or was targeting Noriko specifically, and taking down her daughter was an extra boon._

L sighed heavily, his whole body sagging even further into the couch cushions. It had been so long since he last slept, and that blood donation had also sucked a surprising amount of energy from him.

 _Maybe a couple of hours of shut-eye will do me some good._

L stifled a yawn as he rested his chin atop his knees, bleary eyes keeping their gaze fixed upon the screen before him. Even as his heavy eyelids began to droop slowly shut, all he could see in his mind's eye, was a young woman smiling and shyly waving and mouthing thanks across an exam room.

 _I'll bring you and your family the justice you deserve…I promise…Emi…_

* * *

 **And there it is, Chapter 4 up.**

 **Bet ya didn't see that crash landing coming did ya? Just who killed Emi's mother and what part will they have to play in the future? You'll have to wait to find out.** **;)**

 **So L and Emi finally meet face to face. Trying to keep it realistic given the circumstances (they barely know one another), but even so, let me know if anyone's being a bit too OOC. He doesn't "like-like" her at the moment, but he does think she is a good person, even with her meddling. The idea of L giving her blood was partially out of cuteness, partially because being egotistical, L hates losing and this is his way of one-upping Light in lieu of CPR.**

 **It was also interesting to push Light a little bit closer to the edges of his sanity. He's always so sheltered behind his Death Note when it comes to killing people so I thought it would be interesting to put him in a situation where he'd have to face real nasty temptation.**

 **Anyways let me know what you think and please keep reviewing and faving if you enjoyed :)**

 **Cheers**

 **FuzzyBeta**


	5. The Emperor

**Chapter 5: the Emperor**

 _Upright – Authority, father-figure, solid structure_

 _Reversed – Domination, excessive control, inflexibility_

* * *

 _ **January 19th 2004**_

When Emi woke up the next morning, her entire body was throbbing horribly. Even the pain meds the nurse gave her couldn't dull the ache that spread through her or that strange hollowness she felt in the middle of her chest.

It was an odd combination. Her body felt like a sledgehammer had smashed it and yet at the same time, she felt numb and cold deep down inside.

She barely made a sound, save the small automatic grunts of pain or discomfort as the morning nurse helped adjust her to sit in her bed. Apart from that, she stayed silent. She ate the food she was given but didn't taste it. She stared up at the television positioned up above her on the opposite wall, though she did not watch it or pay attention. All sound was muted to her ears as if she were listening to it from beneath deep waters.

Of course, she knew precisely why it was happening.

Her mother and father were dead, and her sister was missing, or most likely dead now. Emi didn't need the great detective L telling her that. If she were alive, Naomi would've been here beside her in a heartbeat. Whatever said and done, the older Misora sister cared for her family and would've moved heaven and earth to protect those she loved.

When she was alone, tears fell from Emi's eyes, though she did not sob. Besides breathing any more than a whisper hurt her already aching chest.

She looked down into the blurry form of her uninjured hand at the pair of dull, everyday plain black rectangular rimmed glasses she had been given to help her see.

What was that the doctor had said in his morning report? A punctured lung and a few broken ribs?

She had to admit she was amazed and disappointed that she hadn't died upon impact with the car that had rammed into her.

"Miss Minami, you have some visitors," a round-faced nurse said gently from the direction of the doorway.

Emi quickly put on her new glasses and turned to see who had entered the private ward, and though she tried to stop herself, her heart jolted when she didn't see her sister walk through the door.

Instead, it was the tall proud form of Light Yagami, followed by a very stern and very tired Chief Soichiro Yagami. What she didn't see however was the invisible dark Shinigami floating behind the pair of them, grinning at her with amused intrigue.

"Minami-san, it's good to see you up and awake." Light tried to smile, but Emi could see straight through him as if he were made from glass.

Somehow, being in her injured grieving state had forced her observational skills to kick into overdrive. She supposed that she had gone into some strange form of survival mode to cope with the emotional and physical stress.

Whatever the reason for this sudden change, it sure was making it difficult for her to keep a straight face as she answered.

"Depends on what you define as good." Emi didn't need to be a genius to notice the small glimmer of annoyance flicker in those brown eyes as Light made his way over to her and held out a bunch of insanely bright yellow flowers.

"I thought you might like these to cheer up your room."

"There's a vase by the window" Emi nodded, though she was quick to make a note in her head to throw the flowers out as soon as Light and his father were gone.

She hated the colour yellow, and the last thing she wanted was something bright and annoying constantly glaring at her through the corner of her eye. She was quick to face Sochiro, her heart clenching as she noticed the worried fatherly look in his stern face.

"Hello, Minami-san. I'm Light's father, Soichiro Yagami. I do hope you're feeling better."

"If you're asking whether I no longer feel like I have been smashed with a giant brick, then I suppose I'm not doing too badly" Emi deadpanned, though she was quick to right herself with a small cough. "I'm sorry, mister Yagami. My morning painkillers haven't quite kicked in yet, so I'm still a little, well..."

"It's alright, I understand. I've had my fair share of injuries as a policeman" Sochiro nodded, his expression softening as he relaxed.

Light, on the other hand, was still quite tense, though he was quick to cover it up as he took up a seat by her bed.

"I'm glad to see you in such high spirits. When I was trying to revive you on the road, I was so worried-"

* * *

 _Just what is your game now?_

L scowled as he watched Light Yagami through the hospital ward's new secret cameras.

It was so hard to tell if the teenager's behaviour was genuine or not. True, it was not suspicious that he should want to check in on the injured girl after rescuing her. However, if there was one thing L had learned from his observations, it was that Light never made a move without calculating every single step first.

He could see it in every single movement Light made each twitch of the finger, each quirk of a smile. It was all such a perfect façade. Too perfect in L's opinion, though it seemed to work well enough on Light's father and the nurse that came to check in on them.

L sighed as he took a small moment to observe the old policeman.

Soichiro Yagami was a good man, with a strong sense of justice and streak of kindness that was rare in a lot of people. Though he had limited time with them, he loved his family dearly and genuinely believed in serving and protecting the innocent.

Though L was certain Light Yagami was Kira, he sincerely hoped (privately) that perhaps, for once, he was wrong, if only for the sake of the older Yagami man even if it was skewing his bias on the case.

 _Oh well, at least someone still has their head screwed on correctly._

L mused as he picked up a chocolate covered strawberry, his black eyes keenly turning to watch the frail form of Emi chatting with Light. Ever the courteous gentleman, Light had steered the conversation away from the girl's harrowing experience and into talk about their exams.

From what L could see, Emi was glad at the change of pace, but he couldn't help but notice the way her eyes occasionally skimmed Light's face carefully, almost as if they were lasers scanning him for a reading.

Unlike the first time he'd seen those brown eyes, they now looked tired and worn and very red.

L shifted as he remembered watching the footage of her from the morning. She had not wept or bawled her eyes out in her grief. Oh yes, she had shed tears, but her mourning was silent as a tombstone. Stoic, Watari had called her, but L didn't think so.

That look on her face had not been fortitude. It had been hollow, empty as if she'd lost all willpower and drive to live. The opposite of the bright and spirited girl he'd met just yesterday.

L hated it, almost as much as he hated seeing her strapped up like a marionette to the medical equipment.

But where the world's greatest detective couldn't stand watching her despair, his number one Kira suspect revelled in it. L could see it in Light's brown eyes. It was like looking into the heart of a beautiful carnivorous flower, only to discover too late that it was going to devour you whole in a split second.

The only thing that consoled L now was that despite her grief, or perhaps because of it, Emi's guard was still up and so far, she had yet to fall into Light's waiting arms. But how long would she resolve hold? She'd just lost everyone she loved. And though she would undoubtedly try her best, she was still too helpless to hold out for long against Kira's charms, especially if he could offer her the chance at revenge against those who killed her mother.

It was clear now what L had to do.

"Watari" L called across the room to the kitchenette where Watari was busy preparing another sweet snack.

The older man looked up, his old face softening as he saw his charge still sitting in front of the security feed. He was still in the same position he had fallen asleep last night.

"Yes, L?"

"In five minutes contact Chief Yagami, and tell him to collect the full forensic reports on Noriko Midori's murder from the Chief of Police. Then, once you've finished calling him, I want you to make your way over to visit Miss Misora at the hospital with her laptop and effects. Make sure they are set up to call directly to my laptop in my room."

"You are going to re-establish contact with Miss Misora today?" Watari frowned.

"Yes, is there a problem?" L quirked a brow at his retainer in slight surprise. It wasn't often Watari questioned his actions.

"Not a problem Ryuzaki, more a concern" Watari's moustache bristled ever so slightly "Poor Miss Misora barely seems to be in any fit state, physically or emotionally, to be dealing with the Kira case right now. Surely we should wait a few days for her to at least regain some of her strength."

"Normally, I would agree with you, but I'm afraid we're running out of time." L turned back to the screen. "If Light Yagami is Kira, then we cannot afford to let him keep in such constant contact with her. It's too risky to let him have so much access to her when she's so vulnerable."

"Of course, L. I'll start preparing right away." Watari nodded solemnly and quickly bustled off.

L turned back to his viewing, his dark eyes narrowing shrewdly as Light Yagami and his father suddenly stood to their feet suddenly.

 _Well, that was fast._

L frowned as he watched Light and his father both wish Emi a goodbye and turn to leave the room. Even as the pair left the room, the detective made no move to inform Watari of the development.

Now that L thought about it, it would've looked more suspicious if Watari's call interrupted their visit. Light, being the genius, he was, would undoubtedly figure that L was watching him and Emi's position would be even more precarious than before.

 _At least now we can draw attention away from her before Light, or his father suspects anything._

L sighed softly with relief as the deputy police chief and his son walked out of the private ward, leaving Emi all alone, her smile of thanks, quickly falling into a scowl of fury.

* * *

 _That asshole! That disgusting, egotistical perfect-haired piece of peacock-shit!_

Emi's lip curled as she watched the nurse empty the vase of yellow flowers from the jar by the window. It was two hours since Light Yagami, and his father had come to visit her. It was bad enough she now had to live with the shame of being rescued by the person most likely responsible for nearly all her recent suffering. The last thing she wanted was a living reminder staring her in the face with bright sunny petals.

But what frustrated her most was having to lie back in that darned medical bed and listen to that superficial jerk slash possible homicidal maniac boasting about how smoothly his exam went.

 _Why?_

She scowled, glaring down at her broken arm as the nurse checked the cast.

 _Why is it that bastards like Light Yagami can prance around in life all fine and dandy, and everyone else must get beaten or broken down to powder?_

"There you go; everything looks in order." The nurse smiled kindly as she checked the rest of her patient over.

But Emi was not interested. She just wanted the woman to get out of her face before her remaining undamaged arm reached out and strangled her.

Every smile sent her way, whether they were friendly, pitying or sympathetic, just made her bruised gut ache with hot fury. A mass murdering serial killer was on the loose, all her family had been murdered, and now she was all alone, injured and in pain in a hospital.

How could anyone even pretend to be happy in such a pathetic, disgusting world?

She was glad when there was a knock at the door, and the nurse bustled over to open it.

Emi turned to watch, ears pricking and eyes narrowing as she caught sight of a shadow in the doorway, tall but slightly stooped over.

He exchanged a few mumbled words with the nurse before she let him in. Emi was quick to note that the policeman seated outside the door for her protection was looking very relaxed in his chair outside.

"Ahem, excuse me miss" the newcomer coughed as he approached her bed.

He was a tall, older man with a moustache, wearing a dark suit, jacket and hat which he held in one hand along with a small bouquet of purple, pink and white flowers, while the other bore a leather suitcase. He had a kind face she supposed, but there was something about the way he walked that told her there was more to him than met the eye.

"Miss Emiko Minami" he bowed politely as the door shut behind him. "I don't believe you remember me, but we've met before-"

"No, we haven't. Who are you old man, and what do you want?" Emi said bluntly, not caring for politeness or protocol as she glared the stranger down. What did it matter? It wasn't like her mother nor anyone in her family was going to be there to correct her again anyway. Not to mention the nurse had already closed the door, so she hadn't heard a thing.

However, the older man did not seem perturbed by her rudeness whatsoever. Indeed he looked faintly amused, though it was quick to turn back into a sympathetic expression.

"Hmm, I see you aren't one for preamble. Very well, my dear, I shall be more transparent. My name is Watari an associate of the detective L, here on his behalf to present to you his sincerest condolences."

He held out the bouquet, and Emi rolled her eyes.

"There's a vase over there" she grunted jerking her head in the direction of the small vase on the table by the single window.

"Thank you, young miss." Watari smiled at her as he quickly made to set the flowers in the vase before returning to her bedside. "L has been most worried about you since he heard about your accident. I know it might not be the most opportune moment, but he wishes to talk to you. He would be here in person, however-"

"However he's trying to keep his precious behind safely out of harm's way." Emi finished sourly. She should've expected as such from the world's most paranoid detective. "Alright then, let's get it over with."

Once again, the old man didn't comment on her brusqueness, though his eyes betrayed his pity as he brought the lap table from the side of her bed up over her lap and opened his suitcase. As he did so, she was quick to recognise the laptop within.

"Hey, that's mine!" she stared at the familiar machine as the old man set it before her and opened the lid.

"Yes, L took the liberty of having most of your possessions moved from your apartment to a safe location this morning and last night. Do not worry-" Watari put a hand up to silence her before she could open her mouth "all shall be explained to you today. Now if you wouldn't mind typing in your password, I believe it's almost time for your call, and L is most anxious to talk with you."

Emi shut her mouth and quickly typed in her password with her one whole hand, the desktop loading fast.

After quickly checking through her emails, she opened her phone messenger app on her taskbar and was quick to reset the settings for her webcam and microphone.

Even as she worked, there was no call. She glanced at Watari, who also seemed to frown with confusion as he checked his watch.

"that's odd" the old man murmured as he quickly pulled out a phone from a pocket of his jacket. "He's usually very prompt. Excuse me, one-second miss."

He immediately dialled a number and pressed the call button, only to stop dead in his tracks as a faint ringing sound reached their ears.

Both Emi and Watari turned as the door to the ward opened, and a nurse poked her head through.

"Excuse me, sir, but there's a young man outside looking for you. He says he's your grandson."

"My grandson?" Watari blinked, and the nurse nodded uncertainly.

"Yes sir, he has black hair, wears jeans and hunches a little-"

 _Black hair, jeans and a hunch?_

Emi frowned in confusion. Why did that sound so familiar?

She was snapped out of her thoughts by Watari coughing and forcing a small smile on his face.

"Ah, yes, my grandson. Yes, I told him I'd be meeting him here to visit dear Emiko-san. He was most worried about her when he heard the news. They're very close friends."

He gave a pointed look at Emi, who had opened her mouth to protest. She shut it hastily as the nurse, who didn't seem to have noticed anything as she smiled.

"Shall I let him in then?

"Of course." Emi conceded with a small gulp as her pulse raced. Just who was this stranger? Was it L? had he come in person?

But that description the nurse had given, that didn't seem to match up with all the information she had. Then again no one had ever met the detective in person.

Her heart almost stopped in her chest as the nurse stood aside for the newcomer to walk through.

A shaggy head of black hair, pale, almost alabaster skin, worn blue jeans and a white cotton top with equally grungy trainers to cover his bare toes; He hadn't even bothered to slip his heels into them or tie his shoelaces properly.

"Ryuga?"

"Hello," Ryuga mumbled as he shuffled over towards her bedside. As he did so, Watari's face hardened considerably, all pretence of pleasantness gone from his features as he strode over to the younger man.

"I thought you said you would call from the safety of the hotel" he murmured in a low voice, but Emi heard it all the same as well as the curt response from Ryuga.

"I was, but I reconsidered and figured this would work better in the long term. Besides" Ryuga glanced at Emi who was still watching them both anxiously before continuing in a standard volume " _Miss Misora_ would have figured it out sooner or later."

"Figure what-" Emi stopped mid-speech, eyes misting over as horrible, bizarre realisation clouded her head.

It all made sense, the robotic speech pattern, the strange observant behaviour at the university exam. The odd description that, now she thought about it, matched her sister's portrayal of the disguised culprit from the L.A.B.B murder case!

"You…you're…L?" she whispered, her lips barely moving as she glanced up to the security cameras in the top corners of the room.

"Do not worry only a select few other members of my task force and I have access to this ward's cameras. We can talk freely in here." the corners of Ryuga's, or instead L's mouth, twitched upwards with faint amusement as he dragged a nearby chair over to the side of her bed.

"Watari if you wouldn't mind leaving us for a moment. Miss Misora and I need to have a little chat."

"…of course." Watari nodded, his polite grandfatherly façade once again plastered over his wizened face as he bobbed his head and strode out of the room before Emi could even get a word in.

She heard the shuffling of material and turned her head sharply to face the detective that had perched himself like a hunchbacked gargoyle in the chair beside her bed.

"I'm glad to see you up and awake" L's voice was slurred a little as he absentmindedly chewed on his thumbnail. "I must admit I feared the worst when I saw that car hit you the day before yesterday."

"Oh, really?" Emi whipped around in her bed to face him, only to clutch at her injured ribs as they throbbed painfully with the movement.

"You should lie back. Your body will need all the rest; it can get if you are to make a full recovery." L murmured as he reached forward and gently took her laptop from the lap-table and put it safely on her bedside.

Emi glowered but let herself melt back into the half-raised medical bed, the faint beeps of her heart rate on the monitor slowing down gradually as she sucked in a few deep breaths.

Once she was calm enough, she opened her eyes and stared at L as he settled himself back in his chair.

"Feeling better?" he murmured.

"How do I know you're really…who you say you are?" she mumbled.

"Ah but I never said I was L did I? If I remember correctly it was you who made that assumption out loud" L smirked ever so slightly as her glare hardened on him.

Finally, he could see the spark in her eye again. That was a hundred times better than seeing her so despondent-no wait, what was he doing? He had a job to do.

He shook his head slightly to himself and forced his face back into its expressionless mask once more.

"Assumptions aside, you are correct. I am the detective L., And I am here to ask for your help."

"My help?" Emi snorted "and pray to tell why the greatest detective in the world would need _my_ help? You certainly did not want it when you called me last week. And speaking about calls, why are you out here? Why are you risking so much to come outside when you'd be safer from Kira staying hidden?"

"Because if I didn't, Kira would find an excuse to kill you or worse" L muttered bluntly, shifting in his seat uncomfortably. "You have remarkable skills. I'd hate to see the likes of Kira use them for evil-"

"Oh I think I see it now" Emi rolled her eyes. "because Kira is showing an interest in me you're getting jealous and want your toy back. That's all this has become to the two of you, isn't it? A game between two spoiled little boys trying to prove themselves to the adults, except neither one of you can agree on who gets to play the hero?"

"Nice try. But if you think you're going to bait me into losing my temper I'd think again" L replied calmly, not even batting an eye. Emi narrowed her eyes.

This was weird, Emi thought wildly. She had said less than this and made others storm away in anger from her, but the detective was sitting there as cool as a cucumber. It was almost like he expected her to lash out like this.

His smirk widened ever so slightly as he saw the confusion all over her face.

"Be careful, Emilia. Keep this up, and even I won't be able to protect you from Kira's grasp."

"But why would you want to do that?" Emi wondered aloud, though she was slightly unnerved by his use of her full name "You said so yourself you didn't want me interfering-"

"And yet you still did" L raised his hairless brow. "and in doing so, you stepped right into the rabbit hole. Luckily, you haven't fallen so far yet, but go any further on your own, and you will be way out of your depth."

"So what are you going to do? Lock me up in the tallest tower and set a dragon to guard me?" Emi rolled her eyes.

"Only if you refuse to co-operate" L countered just as swiftly. "Though I'd rather keep the dragon for when I catch Kira."

 _Hmph! Smartass._ Emi glowered, but the detective did not waver in the slightest.

"You still haven't explained why you're showing your face to me" she mumbled.

"I suppose that is the only question that matters." L sighed. "I'll be honest, I am not fond of the idea of exposing myself to others, but even I cannot deny that Kira is a dangerous adversary. However, in my time assessing his actions, I have realised that he has one weakness. He is alone. He might use people to help him do his bidding but ultimately, he trusts no one. While this has made him difficult to catch, it also makes him vulnerable, because while he knows how to use people, he doesn't know how to trust them. Thus they'll never be privy to his innermost thoughts, and they-"

"-Will make mistakes because they don't know what he wants. And those mistakes could cost him everything." Emi finished quietly. It made sense and fit with most of her observations of Light Yagami so far. He surrounded himself with people, but he never actually bonded with them on an intimate level.

"And because you work in a similar way you share that very same weakness and you're at risk of the same dangers" She looked up at L who bristled but was quick to right himself haughtily.

"A very astute observation. But unlike Kira, I plan to remedy that problem-"

"By surrounding yourself with people you trust," Emi said. "Which brings me back to why trust me? I might be in Kira's debt now. Despite everything he's done to my family, I owe him my life, and he'd probably kill me if I tried to back out of repaying him, unless…"

She trailed off eyes widening as his smirk reappeared on his face.

"You son of a bitch." She muttered. "You _want_ me to get close to him!"

"Only if you're willing to" L murmured. "Of all the people I have observed you are in a most advantageous position to get close Light Yagami without attracting too much attention."

"How close are we talking? Because I refuse to seduce and sleep with a serial killer, let alone kiss him!" Emi pulled a disgusted face, much to L's amusement.

"Hopefully, it won't come to that, but I have to admit I am surprised at you Emilia." L tilted his head like a curious child. "Most women who have met Light Yagami are charmed by his very presence, usually within the first five minutes. And yet those very traits they find appealing you seem to be disgusted by."

"Yeah well, I don't know if you've noticed it or not but I'm not like most women" Emi sniffed proudly. "Sure Light Yagami is attractive physically, but even you cannot deny that if you bothered to look hard enough, you'd find something rotting beneath the surface."

"Only too true, I fear." L sighed. "Hence why I'm making this offer face to face. You are the only person I have met that, like me, understands what a dangerous person Light Yagami is and why he must be stopped. Everyone else would rather take the easy way out and keep the wool he has pulled over their eyes exactly where it is. However, if you'd rather keep your distance from him, I'm fully prepared to set you up with a witness protection program, though you'll probably have to move overseas. I was thinking America since your father still has connections there that could keep you safe."

"I doubt it" Emi's eyes glanced down at her sheets. "If my father's connections could barely keep my mother alive for two weeks after his death, then what chance do I have on my own in another country? Though of course you already know that don't you? That's why you're offering me this job because you know that the only other place where I could be safe is under your nose."

L paused, his mouth opens as if to say something, only to shut it hastily and nod quietly. Now that she was unhindered by petty subjects like school, her mind was free to start observing everything around her in better detail. He could see the cogs working in her head even as he met her gaze as if a machine had been kickstarted back into life after years of inactivity.

 _Such a shame that such a tragedy would be the catalyst for your growth._

L's gaze softened ever so slightly as she shut her eyes and grunted in pain.

"Sorry" she mumbled when she opened her eyes, and L noticed that beneath the small bruises on her face and the bandage over her concussion, her skin was deathly pale. The sight made his skin crawl uncomfortably, and he wondered if there was anything he should do. Should he call for Watari or a nurse? She didn't look to be in such desperate straits, yet she still seemed in agony.

"I look like shit, don't I?" she muttered hoarsely, smirking a little as the detective before she snapped out of his thoughts. She wasn't sure whether he was aware of it, but his expression on his guarded face almost looked worried.

"You look like anyone that has been injured. Tired and in need of rest" L bristled as he righted himself once more and stood to his feet.

"I understand this is a lot to take in, so I will give you time to think on my request. I will send Watari around tomorrow to deliver you a new cell phone, seeing as your old one was destroyed in the crash. I think a week should be sufficient time for you to think things over given your condition."

"Yeah…yeah a week should be fine." Emi nodded as she melted back into her pillow, her eyes downcast once more.

"Wait-Ryuga-I-I mean L" she called just as he was about to turn his back.

"Yes?" L looked back, and his heart sank as he caught sight of the melancholy in her eyes as she met his gaze.

"My sister's not coming back…is she?"

L stared at her for a good long moment, his face blank as a board. Inside his thoughts was a whirlpool of confusion. He usually would not have a problem delivering this kind of news to someone, but perhaps that was because he was safely hidden behind the safety of a computer screen. Giving the news face to face was an entirely new and emotionally raw experience, even for him.

However, he was quick to steel himself. He had a job to do, and it would be an absolute disservice to her to not say the truth no matter how much it hurt.

"We don't have any evidence or lead on your sister's whereabouts," he murmured, eyes looking down at the sheets over Emi's feet. "But no. I don't think she is."

He did not dare look to see the reaction as he turned on his heel and strode over towards the door. His courage was all but thrown out the window as he heard a small sniff behind him.

He turned around, and his deadpan expression softened at the sight that met him.

She was sitting up in bed, glasses in her lap, her doe eyes covered by her free hand, lips quivering and trembling as tears slid down her cheeks from under her fingers. But that wasn't what made his stomach freeze in his gut as she pulled her hand down, scrubbed hard at her tears and mumbled:

"Thank you."

L did not say a word. He just nodded his head silently, his face half hidden beneath his shaggy head of dark hair as strode out the door, unable to look anymore at the distraught girl alone in the room behind him.

* * *

 _ **January 22nd 2004**_

Sochirou Yagami grunted as he walked through the front door of his home and changed into his house slippers.

"I'm home!"

"Welcome back, dear" his wife Sachiko beamed at him as she poked her head out from the door to the kitchen. "you're just in time. Dinner's almost ready."

"That's wonderful dear" Sochirou smiled tiredly back at her "I'll come in a second, I just need to freshen up first."

"Of course, of course. You relax, I'll call you when it's ready" Sachiko nodded and ducked back into the kitchen.

Sochirou sighed as he ascended the stairs to the upper floor.

It had been a long time since he'd been home this early and even then he was still on edge.

It didn't help his already pressed nerves when he passed by his eldest son's bedroom door, which was as always closed off from the world.

Sochirou looked at the doorknob. There was no piece of paper lodged into the cracks, and he could hear the faintest sound of frantic scribbling on paper.

But the exams were over, so why would his son be writing notes?

He sucked in a deep breath and raised his hand.

 _Rat-tat-tat!_

"Light?"

On the other side of the door, Light Yagami almost fell out of his desk chair with fright, very nearly dropping the black Death Note from his grip. Somewhere on his bed, the Shinigami Ryuk cackled gleefully at his rather comical reaction.

What the hell was his dad doing home so early? No, forget about why he had to hide his work as quickly as possible.

"Just a second Dad" he gulped as he quickly stashed the Death Note beneath a small pile of manga magazines on his desk. He had only just about finished settling the masses of paper on his desk when his father poked his head into his room.

"Sorry son, I didn't mean to startle you." Sochirou smiled warmly at his son's somewhat ruffled appearance.

"It's okay; I wasn't doing much." Light lied, but something of his discomfort must've shown in his face as his father looked over the boy's desk.

News articles and webpages were open on his computer and alongside the manga were several magazines from this week. All of them focused on one topic.

The murder of Noriko Midori.

"What are you doing with all this? You should be relaxing now that your." Sochirou sighed tiredly, looking down at his son. He should've known this high-profile case would peak his son's inquisitiveness.

"I know, dad" Light smiled sheepishly. "I guess I just let my curiosity take me over again. It's a pretty interesting case."

"Yes it is fascinating and also very dangerous," Sochirou said sternly putting a hand on his son's shoulders. "Which is why I'd rather you drop this before you get too far. Whoever is responsible for this attack is exceptionally dangerous, and I wouldn't put it past them to kill anyone trying to track them down. Especially someone in your position."

"My position?" Light blinked like a deer in the headlights. What the hell did his father mean by that? Sure he was the son of the Chief of the NPA but-

His thoughts were interrupted when his father took a seat on the edge of his bed, almost unknowingly sitting on top of Ryuk, who was quick to scramble away into another corner of the room.

"I probably shouldn't be telling you this since it's classified" Sochirou looked his son straight in the eye. "But I guess you would've found out sooner or later. That girl you rescued, your friend from school. She's Noriko Midori's daughter."

"What? Daughter?" Light's eyes were now wider than dinner plates. Behind his back, he could hear Ryuk sniggering with malicious amusement.

"Yes." Sochirou nodded quietly "Noriko Midori was just a pseudonym for Noriko Minami when she became a celebrity. Your friend, Emiko, is one of her two daughters she had with her ex-husband, who was some policeman in America."

"And the other daughter?" Light asked curiously.

"Lived with her father in America after the divorce and worked in law enforcement. The father died of an undiagnosed heart condition, and the daughter was shot trying to stop a burglary of a convenience store shortly after."

"That's just awful." Light murmured as he remembered the girl lying in the medical bed looking lost, confused and angry. "She's lost her father and sister, and now her mother's been murdered. What's going to happen to her now? Does she have anyone else?"

"No. Unfortunately." Sochirou shook his head sadly "Given the circumstances she'll be put under police protection until the murderers are apprehended. So this might be the last you might see of her for a while."

"Oh, I see." Light looked down at his hands, his mind racing. This was not good. One of his few decent connections was slipping out of his fingers before he even had a chance to bring her into the fold.

Of course, he could find someone else, but it would be difficult to build up another bond without looking suspicious. After all, Emiko Minami owed him her life, and now her mother had died she would own a lot of money and decent resources. Assets like that didn't fall into your lap every day.

Seeing the disappointment on his son's face, Sochirou gave him a small smile.

"I know you're worried for your friend Light. I would be too if I were in your position. I'm only telling you this because I know I can trust you to be responsible with the information. I'll try and see if there's some way the two of you can privately keep in touch, however in the meanwhile I'd rather you keep a low profile and stop investigating for now, if only for your safety. Whoever those murderers are they are not men to be trifled with, and I don't want you or your friend to get hurt."

"I understand" Light smiled as his dad got to his feet. "And don't worry. I'll be careful from now on and not investigate any further."

"Thank you, Light. Now come on. Tidy yourself up and join us downstairs. Your mother has almost finished cooking dinner."

"I will. Thanks, dad" Light nodded, though as soon as his father had shut the door, he was quick to smirk as he opened the chat messenger application on his home computer.

This was it, he thought with almost savage triumph, he was going to implement his plan to bring that blasted Emiko Minami under his thumb. He had to act as soon as possible if he was going to snare her on his hook before L caught on.

 _Sorry father, but it looks like I'll have to break a few rules after all._

Of course, he kept his distance for the past three days. It was the only decent thing to do seeing as she was still injured. But he figured once the week was up, she'd be recovered enough to maintain consistent contact over the phone or via the computer.

 _I'll send her a little hello. She may not reply for a day or two given her condition, but it's a step._

He clicked on the messenger application's chat request button and leaned back in his chair, thinking hard on the information his father had just given him.

It indeed was a strange twist of fate, that the person he was trying to recruit was the victim of a half successful double homicide. Light was no idiot. Now that he knew that her mother had been murdered, he had a clearer understanding of the car crash that had nearly claimed the girl's life.

That dark blue sedan had been parked outside the university all day. He remembered seeing it as he had walked through the entrance gate and later again as he and everyone else had left the exam hall. It had only started moving when Emiko had made her way towards the road and had left as soon as people had noticed the accident. Light could not fathom why someone would act so suspicious over a nobody such as Emiko Minami.

Then again, she wasn't as much as a nobody as he first thought.

 _Emiko Minami…daughter of celebrity socialite Noriko Midori. Who'd have thought?_

Light scowled as he caught sight of a beautiful slender tall woman with long black hair. For some inexplicable reason, she reminded him of that FBI woman Naomi Misora.

But no that couldn't be right, Light shook himself slightly as he resettled the magazines and carefully tucked the Death Note into its secret compartment in his desk. Emiko Minami's sister had died way before he had met Naomi Misora.

Also, there was the chance that Noriko Midori had done plastic surgery like so many other older women of higher social status. After all, it would explain why Emiko barely looked a thing like her, though that may also have had something to do with the polar opposite way the younger woman presented herself in public.

"So you're still reaching out to that Emi girl? Even though your father's going to be keeping an eye on you. That's bold even for you," Ryuk's gave a raspy snigger from behind his back. The tall, dark Shinigami was now sitting upside down on his human's bed munching on an apple. "think you can make her fall for you like all the other girls?"

"Perhaps" Light shrugged casually "Of course if she did worship me as her saviour her that would be best, but she seems a bit too stubborn for that. At worst she'll begrudgingly do whatever she can to repay me for saving her life. Either way, she owes me big, so it doesn't make a difference whether she does or does not like me. She has no choice but to repay her debt in whatever way I see fit."

"Stubborn? Hmm, that's one way of putting it I suppose" Ryuk smirked though inside the privacy of his rotten mind he was cackling with mirth.

For all his brilliance, Light still hadn't figured out that the girl he thought was just another classmate, was the younger sister of the woman that had nearly derailed his whole operation on New Year's. And what a clever little mouse she was.

Ryuk had to admit it was entertaining watching his human scurry around after her like a curious dog after a buried bone especially since the Shinigami himself had decided to up the ante and bring her further into the game with the death of her mother.

 _He-he-he! This has got to be my finest work yet — so much entertainment value._

He tilted his head, pretending to be bored as he skimmed the pages his own personal Death Note where a small paragraph was written in his rough hand:

 _Noriko Midoori, Dies January 17 2004. Shot multiple times during a home invasion by the strangers that have been following her ever since her husband's death. Dies bleeding from bullet to the head on the carpet while perpetrators escape without a trace._

"What are you smiling for?"

Ryuk blinked.

Light was frowning at him, curiously over his shoulder.

"Nothing. Just imagine all the interesting things you're going to your new little friend." The Shinigami's leer widened maliciously, but if Light was phased, he didn't show it. Instead, he just rolled his eyes with almost fond annoyance.

Except Light was never genuinely fond of anyone. Even his affection for his family, close as they were, only ran so deep.

In short, he was the exact opposite of the last remaining member of the Misora family. Ryuk, tucked his Death Note away, remembering how he had spent those last few days of avoiding Light's electronically bugged bedroom.

He'd followed the Emi girl around for a while at short intervals, watching her and her mother curiously, as well as the tails that had been following them for the past few weeks.

Ryuk didn't know who the mysterious shadows were, nor did he care. It was clear from the men's body language that they were up to no good. He just found it interesting that the mother and daughter were being followed at all. After all, neither were actively in conflict with dangerous third parties and were not openly hostile to anyone. So why waste time and energy trying to tail them at every turn?

Well, whatever those shadows had wanted, it was no longer important. By the time the exams had come, Ryuk was too bored with his human's smug little victories. It was time to put the pressure on, and he was sure Light wouldn't disappoint when he realised he was being attacked from not one, but two different sides.

That is if Emilia Misora didn't fall to pieces just yet. Ryuk hoped not. He liked her spunk, and she always had such delicious red apples tucked away into her bag.

He grinned widely.

This was going to be fun.

* * *

 _ **January 24th 2004**_

L fidgeted as he stared at the cell phone on the coffee table before him. It was late into the night. He had just dismissed the rest of the Kira taskforce for the day; now he was back to his latest new hobby.

Waiting by the phone for a call from Emi.

From the regular reports he was receiving from the hospital, she seemed to be steadily getting better. Her arm and ribs would take a few weeks to heal, but that was expected. Everything else seemed to be okay.

He just hoped that he hadn't been too rash in showing his face to the one person that could give him away to his only suspect.

 _She won't give me away. She hates Kira too much._

He assured himself as he nibbled on his nails, trying and failing to ignore the odd way his stomach shifted when the memory of the girl crying in the medical bed wafted over his mind's eye.

She had thanked him. Thanked him for delivering what was perhaps the worst news she could hear in her current state.

She had thanked him for his honesty even though he had lied to her face about his identity at their first meeting. Any average person would've yelled and been angry at him. True she had tried to bait him into losing his temper, but apart from that, she made no other move to show her anger.

And then there was her disdain for Light Yagami. Usually, L would've argued that the lady doth protest too much, had it not been for the apparent disgust he'd seen on Emi's face when she had talked to her classmate.

 _"I'm not like most women."_

"No, you certainly are not" L mumbled to himself as he picked up a spoon and licked it clean off the whipped cream from the sundae next to the cellphone.

"L?" Watari quirked a brow as he stepped into the room.

"Sorry, just thinking aloud" L muttered, but his oldest confidant's moustache twitched.

"You still believe miss Misora will agree to work with us?"

"I don't know" L bristled uncomfortably. How he hated saying those words out loud. "or at least I'm not sure she will join us. She might take witness protection for self-preservation sake. However, I don't believe she will betray my confidence."

"How can you be sure? You've only met the girl twice face to face, and the first time you were undercover." Watari quirked a wrinkled brow as he laid more tea and sweets out on the table before his charge.

"You don't approve of her, do you?" L asked blandly as he began piling sugar cubes into his teacup.

"That depends on what you define as approval" Watari quirked a brow. "As a person, I think she is bright and sincere. As an ally and operative, however, I am not so sure. Of course, she is cunning and sharp, but she's also reckless a loose cannon. It will be difficult keeping her in li-"

 _Briing-ring! Bring-ring!_

Both Watari's eyes whipped to the cell phone just in time to see L swipe at the device and flip it open so fast it almost gave the old man whiplash.

"Moshi-Moshi this is Ryuga speaking" L droned in toneless Japanese. However, though his voice was monotone, his usually blank panda eyes were alight with trepidation and excitement as he turned the phone onto speakerphone.

"Hey, uh… _Ryuga_. It's me, Emi. Listen I've been thinking about what you said last time and well, I'm in. I'll help you catch Kira."

L held the phone out at arm's length by the tips of his spindly fingers and waggled the phone in Watari's face. The old man sighed as his charge smirked as if to say "I told you so".

L might have been the greatest detective in the world, but sometimes he could be as childish as a five-year-old.

However, Watari decided to let the younger man's lapse in maturity slide for the moment as he made to answer:

"I'm glad to hear it. How are you faring? You certainly sound better."

"I'm feeling better; I guess" Emi admitted quietly, "The doctor says I should be free to leave the hospital soon. I need to take it easy with my arm and ribs. But we can talk about that crap later. I have a few conditions to add to our agreement."

"Oh, you do, do you?" L quirked a hairless brow in faint amusement as she huffed haughtily through the receiver.

"Yes, I do. Firstly I need access to all the current information about the Kira case, both on and off the record"

"Done." L said automatically, earning another raised eyebrow from Watari even as Emi continued her list.

"Secondly, I'll need a safe place to stay-"

"Already taken care of" L steamrolled over her smoothly "I already made plans for your security and accommodation since before I made you the offer to work with me."

"Wow, someone's cocky" Emi snorted. "How did you know I'd say yes?"

"I'm a detective," L's smirk widened ever so slightly "It's my job to know how people think. Therefore, it's not cockiness, merely observation."

"Of course, of course," L could almost see Emi rolling her eyes on the other end as she continued to speak. "And speaking of observations, I'm going to need some help hiding my identity, or at least my father and sister's identity. Now that the media has gotten wind of my mother's murder, it won't be long till they start posting up pictures of me everywhere as well. Since everyone in Japan knows me as Emiko Midori or Emiko Minami, it won't be hard to keep my actual name under wraps, but if they decide to dig any further and find out about Naomi-"

"You needn't worry. I have already made the necessary preparations to hide your fellow family members identities." L said pausing to frown to himself.

Maybe it could've been the distortion through the receiver, but there was a strange waver to her voice that he had not picked up before in his excitement. Did she sound nervous …but why?

 _Unless…_

"Emilia" he cut her off in the middle of her sentence.

"Yes?" she said softly, but L heard her anxious gulp.

"Light Yagami has made contact with you, hasn't he?"

He didn't need to hear her quick breaths on the other end to know he was right even as she murmured:

"Yes"

"And let me guess, he knows about your mother."

"Yes." Emi all but whispered. "He said his father told him everything so that he could keep an eye out for trouble. I haven't responded yet."

"He doesn't know about your sister and father, then?"

"No. Or at least I hope not," Emi admitted. "You're sure he can't find out anything about them?"

"I'm sure" L said quietly, but Emi was quick to notice his tone.

"You don't sound certain."

L paused for a second, wondering how he should proceed. He could almost taste her fear on the other end. It was so palpable that it even made him nervous. He was swift to dispel such thoughts.

No. Now wasn't the time for doubt.

"I know you must be scared. But rest assured I have done and will continue to do whatever I can to ensure your safety while you are under my protection. You have my word. And if by chance Kira does uncover the truth-"

"You will try to stop him from hurting me. But we both know that won't work once he knows my name and face." Emi stated, her voice now hollow and cold.

"I guess not" L agreed grimly. "But that doesn't mean we'll give up and roll over onto our backs either. We'll figure this out. One way or another."

"One way or another" Emi repeated softly, and L could almost picture her warm shrewd brown eyes staring piercingly into his own. "I look forward to working with you L."

"And I look forward to working with you, Emilia."

"Emi" Emi corrected him automatically.

"Emi" L's smirk returned though it was ever so slightly softer as the syllables rolled off his tongue. "I will send Watari tomorrow to pick you up from the hospital. Till then get some rest."

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow then" Emi yawned in his ear. "Goodnight L"

"Goodnight…Emi" L shut the phone off, his smirk falling into an angry scowl.

"L, is everything alright?" Watari asked as he returned to the lounge with a mug of hot chocolate.

"I don't know" L grunted moodily he accepted the hot beverage.

"You're worried about Miss Misora" the older man's expression softened as he met that familiar dark gaze of the young detective.

"No. I'm glad she'll be joining us. Honestly, I'm more worried about Kira."

"You still think he had something to do with the death of Miss Misora's mother?"

"Yes. I know all the evidence points to the contrary, but there's something, something about that murder…it doesn't sit right…"

L's voice fell away as he brought the hot chocolate to his lips. It took him nearly all he had not to guzzle it down in one go.

 _Just a few hours and she'll be safe and sound under my nose. I'll be able to keep an eye on everything that happens._

He assured himself as he quickly switched on the television before him. It was still tuned into the hospital security feed of Emi's private room.

She had put away her computer and phone and was lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling.

She was certainly looking a lot healthier than when he had visited her, but there was no mistaking the terror in her eyes as she chewed on her lip deep in thought.

L was watching her face so intently that he didn't even notice Watari as he quietly walked towards the kitchen area of the large suite, his old face anxious.

He sighed softly to himself as he watched the detective on the couch staring unblinkingly at the screen before him.

It had been a long time since the boy had taken a personal interest in someone when it came to a case. It wasn't that L was hard-hearted. Indeed, he had a strong sense of justice and an extreme dislike towards those who directed their malicious intent unto others; but never had he put himself on the line like this for someone.

Not only had he initiated contact with a victim, but he had exposed his face to her. He was trusting her, a virtual stranger almost blindly with his identity. Watari knew that sometimes you had to have faith in people, but L wasn't like most people. He was paranoid and was always more than happy to avoid most normal human contact. So what made this girl so different?

True, he was still a virile young man, and the young Misora girl was undoubtedly charming, albeit in her stubborn way. But L had managed to make it through most of his young adult life without his libido dictating his actions…unless he was just a late bloomer, and he had finally found a girl that suited his fancies.

Watari sighed softly to himself. Of all the times the boy's hormones played up, of course, it would have to be now.

 _I guess I'll have to keep a close eye on the two of them from now on._

The older man shook his head to himself as he dried another plate in his hands.

This was proving to be a far more exhausting case than he'd first thought and he could only hope it would be worth it in the end.

* * *

 **And there we have it; chapter 5 is up.**

 **I would've written and posted earlier only life has been very, very hectic as of late. Hopefully, this makes up for it.**

 **To those of you who have cottoned onto the chapter name themes being the Major Arcana Tarot cards well done. I enjoyed writing from Watari and Chief Yagami's perspectives, which is fitting seeing as the Emperor is a card usually associated with a masculine/paternal figure of authority. I also find it a lot of fun writing from Ryuk's point of view. On the one hand, he can be funny and goofy, but he's also a menacing force for evil, who will do anything he can to keep himself from being bored. I don't know about you guys, but I could totally see him pitting obstacles against Light just for kicks or if he thought things were getting too dull. After all, like most of the Shinigami's we see in Death Note, he's a reflection of the human he haunts, and like Light, he'd do anything to help things go his way without a care for who gets hurt in the end.**

 **Anyway enough from me. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and please review for more.**

 **Cheers,**

 **Fuzzybeta**


	6. The Hierophant

**Chapter 6: The Hierophant**

 _Upright – Religion, conformity, tradition, beliefs_

 _Reversed – Restriction, A challenge to the status quo_

* * *

 _ **January 25th 2004**_

L tilted his head as Watari exited a door just off the new hotel suite corridor.

"I've settled Miss Misora in for the night" the old man sighed as he came out to the main living space. "She's just drunk the cocoa so the sleeping tablet should take effect very soon."

"Good" L murmured not taking his eyes from the screen of the laptop before him. On it, he was scrolling through a series of pictures, many of them containing two young women. One a tall and slender woman with long black hair and a warm smile, and the other the familiar petite brunette beaming and poking her tongue out cheekily.

It was a stark contrast to the harrowed girl that had stepped over the threshold of his hotel suite a few hours ago.

L's eyes darted to the taskbar of the computer where a messenger chat app was minimised. It was almost unnerving just how swift Light Yagami was in his attempt to befriend his latest damsel in distress, or rather victim.

Not that Emilia Misora ever would tolerate being called that.

 _For a person in such a dire situation, she is amazingly stubborn, and prideful._

L snorted to himself as he recalled her behaviour that afternoon. After settling her into her room, L had bid her sit with him in the lounge and let him sit in on her messaging chat with Light Yagami. Though it had been initially a little awkward, Emi was calm once her laptop had been set up in front of her and her uninjured hand was busy typing.

She seemed to be more comfortable with machines than she was with ordinary humans, L had noted as he observed her posture and expression relax as she checked the laptop over.

But what was most surprising to L was how at ease he felt in her presence.

He had expected it to be tense, much like how it had been when he had first revealed himself to the members of the Task Force. He had expected her to gape and recoil with discomfort at his less than normal mannerisms.

Instead, she took it in her stride, and while some habits indeed surprised her (like his almost superhuman sweet tooth), she chose not to let it bother her. Or if it was bothering her, she did not let it show at all.

 _Now how to deal with Light Yagami and the rest of the taskforce._

L bristled as he read the last comment in the messenger chatroom.

Of course, nobody could know that she lived with him now. Not even his taskforce. She'd have no choice but to stay in her room nearly twenty-four-seven until her body had healed or remain with an appointed carer in the suite across the hall. Then there was the case of going to a university.

L did not doubt that both he and she would both get into Toho but once they did, they'd have to pretend not to know one another. L could only hope that she was a decent enough actress as she claimed to be, though there were times it was hard for even him to tell what was lurking under the girl's brown eyes.

Not for the first time, L found himself shifting uncomfortably in his seat. It had been a long time since he'd felt this uncertain about anything, let alone anyone.

 _I can only hope this decision doesn't backfire on me._

He bristled as he shut the laptop and disconnected it. As he retrieved the charger from the wall socket, he glanced to a nearby door. It was almost closed, save for one small crack of jet black beyond.

As silent as a cat L hopped off the couch and crept up towards it, laptop in hand. Somewhere distant, he was faintly aware of the sound of running water.

 _Watari must be having a bath_.

He reasoned quietly as he gingerly tiptoed into the open room and chanced a small peek.

 _Oh good, she's fast asleep._

His hunched shoulders relaxed as he caught sight of the petite body of a young woman almost swallowed by plush sheets and blankets upon the luxurious queen-sized bed. Her mousy brown hair was splayed all over the pillow and her face. However, it wasn't enough to obscure the small tear tracks he could see trailing down her cheeks as he tiptoed into the room.

 _I suppose it can't be helped given the circumstances but still._

L sighed to himself he made his way over to the end of her bed where her laptop case lay on top of her suitcase.

He had just about put the machine back into the sleeve when a rustle of material caught his attention.

L froze, dark panda eyes quickly darting back to the bed. However, he needn't have worried. Emi's eyes were shut as she curled in on herself, one part of the blanket slipping off her shoulders.

With the most delicate of touches, he gingerly picked up the blanket in the tips of his fingers and carefully dragged the blanket back over her before quickly letting it go.

He waited with bated breath as she shifted for a moment, but his apprehension eased as she sighed and curled in tighter into her coverings. As she did, her lips quirked upwards ever so slightly, and her closed eyelids softened as she relaxed a fraction.

L stared at her face, his heartbeat sputtering unexpectedly in his chest. He couldn't help it. It was the first time he'd seen her looking so calm. No tears were about to fall; no brow furrowed with severe concentration. She looked so peaceful. For a split second, she resembled the happy grinning girl from the photographs.

He hadn't even noticed his hand was resting on her until she started to curl even further into her pillow.

 _What the hell am I doing?_

He blinked as he looked down at his hand which rested over the side of her neck, his thumb unconsciously stroking tender circles over the line of her jaw and soft cheek.

 _Best let her sleep_. _She'll need whatever peace she can get_

His sighed and shook his head to himself as he patted her shoulder before turning and shuffling away towards the door without a sound. Yet even as he reached the threshold, he couldn't resist the urge to look back.

In the dim light, he could still see her small smile. His dark panda eyes softened just a fraction.

Even though it was but a fleeting moment, happiness suited her much better than sorrow.

* * *

 _ **January 31st 2004**_

Emi stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She was wearing a knee-length plain black dress with a high collar, long loose black sleeves, black opaque tights with black ballet flats and a thick long black coat with her grey tartan scarf. Her mousy brown hair was tied back in a low bun and thankfully was not frizzing. She had even used a black silk scarf as a sling keep her broken arm in place

She'd done her best to cover her still bruised face with makeup, an arduous task seeing as she could only use one arm and hated any chemical that wasn't a cleaning agent touching her skin. However, she hadn't done too poorly, and now only looked more haggard and tired than beaten like a tender steak. Her eyes were still red behind her ugly black-rimmed glasses.

 _I should get a nicer pair once it all settles down._

She mused sadlys she remembered her old metallic magenta pair. They had been a gift from her mother to replace a rather horrid green tortoiseshell print she had gotten merely to annoy her father when she had lost the pair before that while on holiday in America.

That had been two years ago, though now it almost felt like a whole lifetime had passed in front of her eyes.

There was a knock on the door.

"Minami-San?" A voice of a man called through the door. "Minami-San I'm sorry to disturb you, but the guests are arriving."

"Thank you, Matsui, I'll be out in a second" Emi called as she quickly dabbed at her eyes before resettling her glasses on her nose.

She quickly stepped outside, only to come face to face with a young faced man with a mop of black hair and a boyish face. He wore a black suit, but Emi could see his walkie talkie and gun strapped safely on the insides of his jacket.

He called himself Taro Matsui, or at least that's how he had introduced himself to Emi. His real name was Touta Matsuda, and he was a member of L's task force, assigned by L himself to be Emi's bodyguard for the day.

Emi didn't know why L had put the young man up to this. Matsuda looked about as dangerous as a little duckling. Even Emi could look scarier than him with a glower, and she looked like a junior high student.

However, his file said he was a decent shot with a gun, so Emi could only suppose that he must have had hidden depths when it came to his temper that no one had yet discovered.

For now, though he was about as threatening as a puppy if an adorable and considerate one.

His eyes were sympathetic as he led Emi out of the bathroom and into the funeral parlour's wake room, where a whole wall of flowers surrounded a photograph of her mother.

Emi swallowed down the lump in her throat as she took her place in front of the altar to await the first group of mourners who'd come to pay their respects to her mother. Many of them were Japanese celebrities and fashion icons; some were renowned stylists and designers her mother had worked with in her younger modelling days, some of which used to come often to dinner as close family friends.

True to form, none of her mother's extended family came, not that Emi ever expected any of them to show up.

Emi's maternal grandmother had been an orphan, and her maternal grandfather had been wholly disowned from the rest of his family for marrying her. Emi had never uncovered their exact reason, but she guessed it was something to do with her grandfather belonging to an old prestigious elitist family. Either way, with her mother being an only child, there wasn't much family Emi had now left in Japan.

She knew she had more relatives on her father's side from the U.S., but many of them were spread out and didn't keep in much contact anymore. Emi doubted if whatever relatives remained on either side of her family even knew she existed, or at least were aware that she was related to them.

The thoughts did nothing to alleviate her mood as she and the guests bowed to one another, each one of them handing her a small silver or black envelope filled with the customary condolence money, not that Emi would need it. Besides, she had decided to put any condolence money towards her mother's favourite charities. At least then it would be of some use.

She was quickly brought out of her stupor when she caught sight of two figures striding towards her in suits. Her stomach lurched as she recognised the neat head of brown hair on one of them.

"Chief Yagami, Light-san. Thank you for coming." She forced a small smile for the two of them, quickly glancing to the corner of the ceiling just behind their heads where no doubt a certain detective would be watching her with suspicious eyes.

* * *

Up in the hotel suite L bristled uncomfortably as he and the rest of the task force kept a close watch on the wake's proceedings. Several monitors and televisions were blaring on with each member of the task force switching between two devices. But L only had eyes for one laptop screen in front of him where he could see a small mousy haired young woman and a tall smooth, suave young man offering her the condolence money.

L tilted his head a little as he watched Light Yagami and his father make to move away, but not before the young man put a comforting hand on Emi's unhurt shoulder. To any watching, it would've seemed a genuinely heartfelt moment. But L saw the look on Emi's face as Light, and his father left her and made their way to sit in their allocated seats behind her.

The scowl only lasted for a split second, but it made L's insides squirm ever so slightly. He'd never seen Emi looking that furious. It was as if the fires of hell had suddenly ignited behind her eyes. But what alarmed him most was just how quickly she was to hide the expression as the next person made thier way up to express their condolences to her.

She didn't just dislike Light Yagami. She _loathed_ him. And L could sort of see why as he checked the other screen next to him.

On it, he could see the spot where Light and his father were both kneeling on cushions just a few rows behind Emi. Sochirou was whispering to a few other famous people in their row who'd come to pay their respects, but Light was keeping his eyes fixed like laser beams on the back of Emi's head which was only just visible in the corner of the screen.

L shifted uncomfortably, chewing his thumb as his eyes flitted between the two screens. It was almost like watching a lion stalking a gazelle in an open field.

 _She's way too exposed out there._

A small part of the detective's brain hissed with worry as he turned his attention back to Emi's face. Even though he knew Matsuda would do his job in keeping the young woman safe, he still felt like he should be down there in some capacity. He chewed on his thumbnail hard as he scowled.

Today was a day she should be free to mourn for her loved ones without worry or fear for her life.

L tilted his head slightly as he saw Matsuda exchange a couple of small encouraging words from his spot diagonally behind the girl.

 _"just a few more people to come. You're doing great"_ L read the younger man's lip movements.

Despite her irritation, Emi's body language seemed to relax a fraction as L figured it would. Matsuda might have acted like a naïve dopey fool sometimes, but at his core, he was a kind-hearted decent person. Even Emi, who was a more cynical jaded person in nature, could not find anything to complain about now.

L could only hope it was enough to keep the wolves at bay.

* * *

Light Yagami groaned in relief to himself as he came out of the public restroom. It was the first time all day he'd had a moment alone. Well not entirely alone. Ryuk was still hovering around and haunting his shadow at every turn as per usual.

The wake and viewing of the deceased had just ended. The Shinto priest had said the appropriate prayers and blessings, and now all the guests were gathered in a separate function room for a reception to celebrate the deceased.

Light had to admit; he had been surprised about Noriko Midori and her daughter Emi being Shinto Buddhists. Then again, neither mother nor daughter seemed to have been overly religious people.

 _I wonder what they would've thought if they knew I brought a god of death to a funeral._

He snorted quietly to himself, ignoring said Shinigami as he wafted through a nearby wall.

"Wow, I know your new little four-eyed-friend is loaded but this shindig next door is fancy. Seriously that buffet alone has got to have cost a fortune-"

Light did not respond as his invisible companion prattled on, though he could not help but feel slightly nervous as he caught sight of the security cameras littered around nearly every ceiling corner of his surroundings.

Noriko Midori's murder was a huge affair, and already people were coming to know about Emi's near-fatal accident. It wouldn't be long till everyone knew how he, Light, had helped save her on the road. And once that news was out, that damned bastard L would certainly be keeping a close watch on his behaviour.

L…was he watching now? Was that why this service was set up at such an expensively equipped hotel? So that L could watch his every move?

He sucked in a deep breath and sighed. He was getting too worked up, too paranoid. Of course, he had to be careful, but he shouldn't be letting it bother him to such an extent that it showed. Then the whole game would be given away.

He was distracted from his grim thoughts as the door to the lady's bathroom opened, and a very familiar head of brown hair shuffled out.

"Oh Minami-san, I'm sorry I didn't see you there" he smiled, trying desperately to hide his surprise at her presence. One of these days, he had to figure out how she kept sneaking upon him when he was thinking. It was unnerving.

"It's alright" Emi just forced a small smile on her face, though it looked more like a grimace of pain even as she said "And you don't have to keep calling me Minami-San. Emi is fine, especially given all that's happened and all you and your father have done for me. It meant a lot that you came, so thank you."

"Anything for a friend." Light said with a soft smile as he patted her shoulder comfortingly, almost surprising himself with how genuine he sounded. "And since you wish for me to use your name then you can also call me Light."

"Thanks, Light-kun" the corners of Emi's mouth twitched upwards for a split second but was quick to vanish as she heard several people cheering as someone made a toast from the other side of the wall.

"Well, sounds like someone found the hard liquor" She sighed heavily.

"You don't like these kinds of events?" Light quirked a brow then almost cursed himself for his clumsiness. But rather than being insulted, Emi just smirked.

"What funerals? I suppose not. Though I hear the food is to _die_ for."

Light couldn't help but snort with laughter. He couldn't help himself, up till that point the air around him had felt so tense and so constricting that to hear even the smallest piece of humour was a relief. However, he was quick to cough and compose himself, though he couldn't keep the slight smirk at bay.

"Sorry, I just meant what with the crowds and atmosphere-"

"I know. I just always wanted to say a joke like that at a funeral" Emi shook her head, her brown eyes misting over ever so slightly as she said quietly: "Mom would've probably blown a gasket if she heard that. Well, she'd probably laugh first then blow her top off and say that I'm too cheeky at the wrong time. Then I'd probably make it worse by saying how _dead_ wrong she was and go on to complain about how lively it should be."

Both teenagers chuckled, and Emi could not help but marvel at the small smile she caught over Light's face. It was the first time she'd ever seen a genuine, unguarded emotion from him. It was not like the other smile's she'd seen him give their peers at school, which were often so forced and too perfect to be normal. Now however she could see the playful, boyish gleam in his brown eyes and the relaxing of his cheeks as his smile softened ever so slightly.

Her heart clenched painfully in her chest . She knew she had to be careful around him. She knew she might be face to face with a serial killer; however, now she could finally understand why people like Chief Yagami found it so hard to suspect Light. It was difficult for her to imagine him plotting and planning murder when he could wear such a sweet, infectious smile.

However, the moment was quickly shattered as she glanced over his shoulder and caught sight of the security camera in the corner of the hallway. She shut her mouth with a snap.

What the hell was she thinking? This was no time to let her defences drop, especially when the number one Kira suspect was right in front of her.

She looked up and was alarmed to see Light frowning at her in concern.

"Oh-sorry. I didn't mean to glaze out" she shook her head, cursing herself for her lapse in composure, hoping against hope he couldn't see the fury and disgust in her eyes.

"It's alright; you don't have to apologise" Light's face softened as he reached out to pat her on the shoulder "I can't imagine what you're going through right now. Honestly, I'm amazed at how well you seem to be handling yourself given the situation. I know I would be scared sick."

"Oh, I'm scared alright" Emi snorted, more to herself than to him before sighing heavily "But if I let myself sit in constant fear then nothing's ever going to be sorted out. It's like my dad used to say, courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear."

"Your father sounded like he was a wise man. And I'm sure if he were here, he'd be so proud of you for how brave you're at the moment." Light reached out to grip her shoulder gently.

"You think so?" Emi looked up at him with tired worn out eyes.

"I know so" Light's voice softened as did his smile. It was so smooth, so polished, Emi almost believed him. But something in her gut had stopped her.

It wasn't until she had left the building two hours later with Matsuda that she understood what it was that had prevented her from falling under his spell.

Because for the faintest of seconds, under the artificial ceiling light, she was sure she had seen Light Yagami's eyes glow red.

* * *

 _ **February 1st 2004**_

Emi stared at her reflection in the mirror in front of her. It was midnight, but she could not get to sleep.

Her eyes were red and raw from tears, the dark bags under her eyes, making her look gaunt and haunted like a ghostly specter. Her hand was bleeding from the cut she'd accidentally created with the scissors. She'd been aiming for the front lock of her hair when her one good hand had accidentally fumbled for grip.

She looked down at the tendril of red dripping into the sink, swirling with the rest of the water.

The cut wasn't so deep that it would need stitching, but it would require a decent plaster. That meant she would have to go outside to the hotel suite's main lounge…that would mean having to face L and his crony Watari.

While the pair of them had been most consoling and understanding towards her in her grief, she still wasn't sure she trusted them implicitly. After all, they both survived in this world by lying to the public about their identities.

Then there was the Kira case. Where once she craved vengeance and action for her lost family, now she wanted nothing more than to hide and hunker down under a rock in a cave somewhere deep under the surface of the earth and never come out; preferably somewhere close to where her mother was buried six feet under.

 _Maybe I should have taken that witness protection program instead. What hope do I have of ever taking down a mass murderer let alone stand against him for more than five minutes?_

She felt like a coward for the thought, yet it was all she could think about. At least she had been there to cremate her mother's body, pick out the bones in the ashes and bury everything else six feet under…all alone.

When Emi's time came, there would be no one to give her a farewell.

She doubted anyone would care she was gone. After all, no one cared if the spoiled geeky daughter of a wealthy socialite died. Oh sure the rest of the elite would show up to the funeral, and her money would most likely be donated to some charity, but it's not like any loved ones would turn up to tend to her grave every few months or tell her story…whatever little could be said of it anyway. Maybe Yuki might come, but chances of that were slim, and Emi couldn't bear to think of leaving her best friend in such a state.

The feeling of her hand stinging was quick to jolt her out of her depressing thoughts. With a soft curse, she quickly wrapped some clean toilet paper around the shallow cut and tiptoed out of her en-suite bathroom, hunching as she tried to keep her favourite dark magenta throw blanket secure over her shoulders. Self-preservation, it seemed was far more pressing to her mind than her grief.

With quiet footsteps, she crept to the door of her bedroom and chanced a peek outside. L had dismissed the task force for the night, so there was no danger of them discovering her presence. L had not yet told them that she was living under his roof for her protection. A wise decision really, especially since Chief Yagami had accidentally spilled the beans about Emi's mother to his son.

She pursed her lips as she quietly shuffled over the floor towards the kitchen.

The open-plan suite was dark, lit only by the several television screens positioned, making it look like the room was on the inside of a fly's multifaceted eye. On the other side of the space was the kitchen, dimly illuminated by the fading light of the television.

 _No sign of L…maybe he's in the toilet? Or having a bath-or is he asleep? Does he even sleep?_

She frowned to herself as she noticed that both living and kitchen spaces were empty. Oh well, at least she wouldn't have to deal with annoying questioning late into the night.

If her memory served her correctly, a medical kit was stored in one of the cabinets…one that was upon the higher shelf.

"Damn" she hissed as she approached the refrigerator and eyed the cabinet above. There was no way she'd reach it without a stepladder-

"Need some help" a droll monotone whispered suddenly in her ear.

Emi almost leapt out of her skin in fright as she caught sight of L's dim reflection in the metallic front of the fridge.

"L…I-I-I didn't think you were still up?" she gulped, doing her best to hide her cut hand beneath her other injured arm, which was still in a sling, as she turned to face him.

"I could say the same about you" L slowly looked down at her half-hidden arm, and before she could do or say anything, he brought the cut hand out in front of his face.

"Care to explain how this happened?" he asked, crimson blood staining his thumb as it traced over the shallow cut.

"It was an accident. I was trying to cut my hair-"

"One-handed?' L quirked his hairless brow at her and Emi felt her face go red with embarrassment.

Good Lord. She was acting like an idiot, wasn't she? Who else in their right mind would go about cutting their hair when one of their hands was already in a sling and on medication?

 _He must think I'm a total fool._

She was so distracted by her humiliation that she didn't notice L sigh softly before reaching up into the kitchen cabinet and pull out a first aid kit.

"Here, sit" he motioned to the barstools in front of the kitchen island.

Emi sat silently; her lips pressed tightly together as she willed herself to gulp down the lump building up in her throat. She was glad when L made to clean her cut with the iodine because it gave her an excuse to let the tears fall, yet even then she ducked her head, so her hair hid her face in the dim light.

L to his credit, said nothing, though his touch and his gaze was gentle as he made to apply a plaster onto the small injury.

He should have guessed that something like this would happen.

People in these sorts of situations were often prone to impulsive action. They thought if they couldn't control their circumstances, they could at least control themselves and their appearance. Emi, for all her pride, was no different.

Sure, she was stubborn, but everyone had a breaking point. She was almost at hers.

"You're lucky it's a shallow cut" he murmured as he finished taping the plaster in place. "it should heal in a couple of days. Just don't clench or stretch it too much."

"I know" Emi mumbled hoarsely. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright. You have been under immense pressure as of late. As long as you don't make a habit of this, you should be fine." L murmured, turning her hand over in his and inspecting it carefully.

Apart from the cut, it was fine, and surprisingly warm and soft. Not like his rough spindly digits.

"How come you are awake." He murmured, more to distract himself from his strange thoughts.

"Couldn't sleep" Emi mumbled and then before she could stop herself, she sniffled. "I…I can't believe…I burned her body and buried her bones, and then…that was that. It was over. She's gone."

"That's not a hundred per cent true" L muttered, his eyes darting down to her dark head of hair sympathetically. "You're still here. You carry her DNA, so if you have any children, you will pass on her genetics. You also carry memories of her that you will recall throughout your life until the day you die, as will all the people that knew her. And if life is kind to you, you will pass those memories down to your descendants, so in a way, she'll live on-"

"Yeah, but she won't come back, will she?" Emi snorted derisively at her toes, tugging her bandaged hand away from his.

"…no. She won't" L shook his head sombrely.

They sat in silence, L bringing his legs up so he could perch gargoyle-like on the barstool and stare at Emi.

He couldn't help it. The way she sat there, unmoving, unblinking, head bowed, and hair draped like a lank curtain, her legs dangling like a ragdoll from the seat…it was almost like he was watching someone die before his very eyes.

L had seen dead bodies before, both in person and on a computer screen or in photographs. While he knew it was a sad thing for someone to die, his fascination had always stopped him from getting too emotionally affected by it.

However, there was something about watching the light in Emi's eyes dim and extinguish…it made his stomach churn in a most unpleasant way. He wasn't sure why, but he just knew he didn't like seeing her like this. He much preferred the headstrong and reckless young woman he'd first chatted with over the laptop those couple of weeks ago; the same girl he had seen in those photographs alongside her older sister.

"Emi…" he murmured, and Emi glanced up at him through weary brown eyes.

"Come here I want to show you something" he mumbled as he grabbed her by the wrist and hopped off the barstool.

Quietly he led her in a soft shuffle towards the living room area where his laptop was lying open on the coffee table in front of the large couch, surrounded by various manilla files filled with case notes.

He opened and handed her a yellow file marked "December 19 2003" which she stared at, her curiosity spiked despite her depressed mood.

There were several photographs and photocopies of documents in addition to the very comprehensive case notes. There were many pictures of six corpses, prison inmates from the look of the jumpsuits they all wore. In addition to the images of the bodies, three of the photographs were taken of what appeared to be suicide notes, though Emi had a strange feeling that there was more to them than met the eye.

However, her gaze was quickly drawn to a fourth photograph which appeared to be taken of a wall with a giant pentagram.

L watched her, unable to contain his small sigh of relief as he heard her snort derisively at the picture of the pentagram.

"Satanic symbol. Tch! Really?" she muttered as she glanced at the note on the back of the photo then back up at L who was staring at her expectantly.

"So? What do you think?"

"I think you've already figured it out and will probably show me up one way or another" Emi muttered darkly, pinching the bridge of her nose as she blinked tiredly.

"Of course, I figured it out. I just wanted to know what you think."

"Why?"

"Because you aren't a policeman nor a detective." L shrugged "You don't look at the world the same way the taskforce or I are trained to do. Your eyes may spot something that ours don't; they might provide a much-needed different perspective."

"But what if it's wrong?" Emi murmured glancing down at the file.

"That depends on what you define as wrong" L smirked almost teasingly and was not disappointed when she scowled at him, a light sparking dimly from the depths of her once dead gaze.

"Okay, now you're just annoying."

L's smirk widened just a fraction, and she rolled her eyes.

"Argh. Fine. Here goes nothing."

She sucked in a deep breath.

"So, the fifteenth of December. The FBI has landed in Japan and are investigating the families of prominent members of the Japanese police. Four days later on the nineteenth, these six violent inmates are all found dead. A couple of weeks later all the FBI agents sent to Japan are killed by Kira."

She paused and glanced at L, who nodded silently at her to continue, pulling up his legs so he could rest his chin on his knees.

"Based on these facts, one can safely assume that between the fifteenth and nineteenth of December, Kira must have become aware that someone was watching him and his family. Of course, this spooks him into brazenly experimenting on his victims which is quite stupid of him to do."

"Stupid?" L blinked in surprise. That was not the response he was expecting at all. The Kira he had come to know in his investigation was many things…but he had never before been called stupid.

"Yeah, stupid" Emi snorted with a small scathing smirk. "Listen, if Kira wanted to avoid suspicion he would continue to act as though nothing was wrong, keep his head down and not do anything outrageous that goes beyond his usual M.O. That way, he would have been able to cast a wider net of suspicion about himself and hide better amongst the greater web of suspects. Then it would have been more a case of us trying to find a tree hidden in a forest. But he didn't. Which can only mean one thing, that he found out about the investigation quite late in the game, probably around the seventeenth, and panicked about getting the monkey off his back as soon as possible rather than patiently wait it out? From this we can gather that he didn't know when the investigation started nor when it would end which can only prove…" she trailed off her eyes falling to her lap.

"Proves what?" L raised his eyebrows calmly, though he already seemed to guess what she was thinking.

"That whatever method Kira uses to kill is somehow _physical,_ " Emi explained, waving her hands around in the air in front of her. "The fact that he doesn't like people following him means that he has to _do_ something that is out of the ordinary to kill someone, something that he doesn't want to be _seen._ If he could kill someone by merely thinking it he would not have to worry about being followed; he could mask his expression and just-" she clicked her fingers as she slid them across her throat "-like that."

"Yet when the task force and I bugged both the Kitamura and Yagami households we saw no one acting suspiciously and criminals were still being killed?" L tilted his head.

Emi opened her mouth, only to pause and shut it hastily.

That's right, L had watched Light Yagami and his family extensively in that week before the college entrance exams. If they hadn't found anything suspicious there…

"L…while you were bugging the two families, how long did it take for the criminals to die after their names and faces were broadcast? Was it immediate, or did it take a few hours?"

"Good, you're finally asking the right questions." L scratched his chin, his smirk now as wide as a Cheshire cat as he brought up another manilla file in his hands.

"The time of death in relation to the public revealing of the victim's identities varied as the observation carried on. In the beginning, only a couple of petty criminals died immediately after their names and faces were broadcast on the news. However, as the days went on, more of the serious criminals died a few hours after they were revealed on the news. Very few of them died immediately after being revealed."

"So Kira found a way to kill while avoiding the cameras and microphones in the house." Emi bit her lip. "Which means he probably saw the criminals on the news and then memorised their identities before killing them while outside their home's surveillance."

"My thoughts exactly" L nodded, "I must admit, you're far sharper than I thought you'd be when we first met. I'm surprised you didn't come up with these theories sooner."

"Just because it's not done fast doesn't mean it's of bad quality." Emi scowled, her cheeks flushing despite her attempt to be nonchalant as she turned to look back at the file. "Sometimes, it pays to be the patient tortoise rather than the hasty hare."

"The tortoise being you I presume" L muttered softly, and Emi narrowed her eyes.

"Look, L, I don't know if you've noticed this or not, but I'm not a genius like you. I mean, yeah sure I'm smart but-but stuff like this doesn't always come to my head so fast. Some days I'm great, and I get in the zone, and there are times I often don't. And unlike you I-I didn't have any of these files, only those that Raye saved on his computer and even some of those were incomplete. Everything you've just heard has been stewing in my head ever since…ever since I came to work for you when my…when mom was…and when Raye and Naomi-" she gulped and chewed her lip, her fingers on her unbroken hand flexing absentmindedly, her eyes suddenly misting over.

L blinked, staring expectantly at her as her mouth parted to speak, but no sound came out.

"Emi?" he tilted his head, hairless brows furrowing as he leaned in to watch her expression with concern.

"L…" She gulped; her voice oddly tremulous. "Do you think Kira can kill without a heart attack?"

"You mean, can he kill using other means?" L's lips were now a thin line as he leaned towards her to look her dead in the eye "I admit the thought has crossed my mind, but I am not sure. There is no real evidence so far to confirm. Why do you ask?"

Emi did not answer immediately. Her face was pale as she chewed her cheek. L couldn't help but notice that she was shaking ever so slightly.

"On the Twentieth…the last day of-of R-Raye's mission-" She paused to gulp down the horrible lump in her throat as the name passed her lips "-Light Yagami was on a date with a girl- Yuri Akino-she was in our school. Anyway, they went on a date to some amusement park, and their bus was hijacked by some drugged out criminal."

"Are you referring to the Spaceland bus jacking that occurred last month?" L asked sharply. If Emi had thought he was attentive before it was nothing compared to now. L had all but crawled up to crouch, his face right up close next to hers as she nodded nervously.

"Y-Yeah I think so. I mean I didn't talk to Yuri personally but from what I heard, the guy was totally off his rocker. He started hallucinating right before he ran off the-"

"I know I know I read the police reports" L snapped waspishly leaning in so close that they were almost nose to nose "But Light Yagami. He was there, at the Spaceland Bus-jacking? You're sure it was him?"

"I-ugh! Of course, I'm sure! How many Light Yagami's are there in Japan?" Emi spluttered leaning away so that her back was resting on the arm of the couch as L all but crawled over her to keep their eyes fixed on one another.

It was almost like he was trying to see into her very soul, to search it's every depth as he combed for any trace or smidgeon of deceit in her face.

There was anxiety there for sure, coupled with a faint glimmer of fierce, fiery determination in the face of being pinned down. Yet L could detect nothing of any lies or confusion in her eyes.

He pulled away slightly though he kept his body hovering above hers as he sighed.

"Even if what you say is true-"

"It is true" Emi snapped as she tried to wriggle herself up into a sitting position, uncomfortably aware that L was still straddling her stomach.

"Fine-fine, it is true. However, knowing what you do does not change the fact that while Raye Penber did include the bus-jacking in his report of that day, he did not once mention meeting Light Yagami, or even that Light Yagami was on that bus. And even if he did, we have no direct empirical proof of Light being directly involved in the man's death-"

"Yeah well…Maybe Light Yagami was acting the innocent victim so well that Raye believed him and didn't think he was suspicious."

"Yeah…maybe."

There was another pause as L mulled over their exchange.

It would make sense he supposed. From what he had seen of Emi's and Light's interactions so far, the young man had proven a decent actor. Even L for all his suspicion, occasionally found it hard to believe Light could be a serial killer whenever he watched him on camera.

That only made the detective even more determined to break the younger man's mask of perfection.

He sighed heavily through his nose as he looked back into Emi's brave face, which was now somehow rather close to his own. Almost nose to nose in fact.

 _How on earth did I get to here?_

He wondered to himself as he drunk in her features. At this closeness, he could make out the tiniest splatter of freckles dusted over the bridge of her nose and slightly under her big brown eyes, no doubt inherited from her father's American side of the family. He wondered why he hadn't noticed them before.

He supposed he had just never been in such proximity to her to notice, that and her glasses often covered those areas. Yet it didn't seem to detract from her overall sweet appearance, at least not in L's opinion.

"Um…L…what are you doing?" Emi gulped, the back of her neck prickling as she saw his eyes follow the bob of her throat before swiftly returning to her face.

"Counting your freckles," he murmured curiously tilting his head slightly.

"Counting my-wait what?" Emi felt the embarrassed heat rising to her cheeks once more.

"So far I'm up to twenty-seven,"

"What the hell do my freckles have to do with anything?" Emi looked him up and down anxiously, yet he was already leaning back with another sigh to sit on his haunches at the other end of the sofa.

"Nothing whatsoever. I was just curious, that's all."

Emi bit her lip as she straightened herself to sit correctly, nursing her broken arm in its sling. It had started throbbing again. If L had noticed he did not show it; instead he picked up the folder he had given her and was neatening the documents inside back to their original order.

"You should go back to sleep. I'll be sending through more of these reports for you to review tomorrow, you'll need your rest."

"B-But-" Emi began protesting but stopped quickly as L gave her a swift piercing look. It was so sharp that whatever argument she had lodged and ready to fire, promptly died in her throat.

"Okay…okay I-I guess I'll…goodnight" she trailed off awkwardly as she timidly got to her feet. L was already looking over the files again, his eyes almost glued to the pieces of paper even as he mumbled:

"Goodnight…"

 _I guess that's it then…_

Emi chewed on her cheek as she gingerly crept away from the couch. However, when she was halfway across the room, she paused and looked back.

L was still sitting at the sofa, his fingers fumbling through bits of files and papers as his eyes scanned them with such minute concentration. Yet despite his efforts, he couldn't entirely hide the small goosebumps starting to form on his uncovered spidery hands as he flexed and clenched them to stave off the night-time chill that was seeping in through the suite's glass balcony door.

She had never seen anything so lonely looking in her life.

Though his eyes were glued to the files in his hands, L's ears were pricked to attention as Emi shuffled around to stand behind him.

 _What is she up to now?_

He scowled in slight irritation, only to stiffen as he felt something warm and substantial drape over his shoulders. He looked at his arm just as a small hand made to pat down a thick magenta throw blanket in place around him.

"So you don't catch a chill" She muttered giving his shoulder a light squeeze before striding off back to her room.

L watched her go, his black eyes so omniscient and observant surprisingly blank with surprise as he gazed at her slightly hunched over pink-clad back.

Just when he thought he had her figured out, she threw another curveball at him.

Had this been any other case he would've already shipped her off to a safe house and only kept in contact with her via phone. However, with an enemy like Kira on the loose, he'd rather keep this loose cannon close to his chest, if only because she helped provide a different perspective on things.

He groaned softly to himself as he ran a hand through his messy hair. So many things were changing. Barely half a year ago it was just him and Watari quietly solving crimes on their own. Now he had a taskforce around him nearly every day and was sharing his living space and his profession with the dead sister of one of his missing, possibly dead, allies.

 _Maybe this wasn't a good idea to keep her here with me._

He scowled to himself as he turned back to reorganising the files in front of him, sucking in a deep breath as he leaned into the magenta blanket accidentally. The warm smell of strawberry and vanilla wafted into his nose, mixed with something slightly flowery. It was a pleasant scent, wholesome and homely. It calmed his nerves and soothed his racing mind.

His scowl deepened; however, his eyes couldn't help but soften ever so slightly as he ran the soft material through his fingers.

L knew he was an oddball by society's vapid conventions. He knew his appearance and mannerisms often repulsed many others that occasionally encountered him those precious few times he ventured outside of his little bubble. If anyone did approach him to be friendly, it was often to fulfil some hidden agenda. And oddly enough he had been happy with that. People with motives were always so easy to read and keep track of.

He reached his hand up to the point Emi's hand had squeezed his shoulder. Her fingers, much smaller than his own, had been so gentle, so warm. She didn't need to be. By all accounts, she should hate him for involving her in this whole tragic affair, or she should feel not feel anything towards him, or be annoyed by his genius. After all, L was the world's greatest, possibly most cold, calculating, most ruthless detective. He wasn't an agony aunt or a kind shoulder to cry on. Of course, he had his weak moments like when he had offered to bandage her hand, he was still, unfortunately, human after all.

Maybe that's all this was. A moment of weakness in the wake of losing her mother. Yes, that would explain it. Give or take a couple of months, and she'd probably be keeping her distance just like everyone else.

Even so, he had to admit; it was nice…feeling warm and cosy like this, if only for a short while. The corners of his mouth twitched upwards ever so slightly as he pulled the blanket tighter around his hunched-up body, unaware of the invisible, flying shadow that had just flown past his window, grinning widely to itself with glee.

* * *

Ryuk, the Shinigami stared up at the night sky. He was once again sitting on the roof of the Yagami household as it slept. Light had given him several apples to snack on during the night but still bade him eat them from the safety of the roof.

The house may not have been bugged anymore, but Light did not want to take any chances.

However, unlike the rest of the ridiculous rules the boy enforced, Ryuk didn't mind eating up on the roof in the dark. It was quiet, and he had to admit, the night sky was quite lovely to look at when it was clear, even if it was quite cold at this time of year.

 _Now, what's that?_

The shark-like mouth twisted around the mouthful of apple as a dark shadow buzzed above his head. It was strange, covered in rags and flying with a pair of dark dragonfly wings.

"Well, well, well, Look who it is. I wasn't expecting to see you here." he mused as the strange shadowy form settled to land on the roof beside him.

"I could say the same for you Ryuk." a raspy whispery voice hissed; almost lost in the wind. "It's been a long time...we need to talk."

* * *

 _ **April 5th 2004**_

Emi wiped at her glasses as she gazed up at the magnificent rows of fully blooming cherry blossom trees lining the large walkway towards before the giant To-Oh University Auditorium.

Two months. It was the first time she'd been out fully in public for two whole months. Sure, she'd snuck outside with Watari a few times if only to run a couple of errands and get some fresh air, but most of those times she had worn a disguise or used a false name.

Other times, Emi would stay locked in her room sorting through case files and analysing every single minute detail. At the same time, the six policemen wandered about the various hotel suites discussing the case with L, sneaking out only at night whenever they had gone home. At the same time, Watari brought her food and supplies discreetly throughout the day. Occasionally, L himself would bring her something, if only so he could escape the rest of the taskforce for a couple of minutes.

She could only suppose he wasn't used to having so much company around him all the time. Emi herself often preferred the peace of solitude and quiet. Even so, there were times when even she needed to get out and about, if only for a change of scenery.

And what a change of scenery this was, she mused as she looked at the crowds of new fresh college recruits milling about the courtyard with their families. This was the first time she had gone out as herself since her mother's funeral.

True, there had been some changes. She now sported new magenta glasses, slightly sleeker and more stylish than her old ones, and her once plain, shoulder-length chocolate hair was now cut in a short asymmetrical bob. Her bruises and broken arm had also healed over magnificently, though she would forever have one long thin scar reaching from the back of her wrist to her elbow from where her arm had scraped the pavement. But that could easily be covered up like she was doing so now under her sleeve.

 _God, I can't wait to get back to the hotel and get out of this junk._

She grumbled in her head as she did her best to fix her magenta coloured scarf around her neck. She was wearing a simple, fitted, tan coloured turtleneck with dark navy pants, short brown boots and a smart cream trench-coat. A far cry from her usual assortment of oversised hooded sweaters, T-shirts and track pants. She wore no makeup unless you counted lip balm and a touch of concealer here and there.

All in all, her mother would have been proud to see her looking so smart, or at least, no longer looking like such a child anymore. At least now she could at least pass off for a high-school student instead of a child in junior high.

Her eyes fell to her booted feet as her heart clenched tight in her chest.

Her mother…her father…Naomi…Raye…People that should be here with her to help her celebrate on this day…She remembered the day she got the acceptance letter. Watari had picked it up especially for her the day before and had placed it carefully on a breakfast tray which he had brought out to Emi and L in the living room.

It had been one of those rare weekends when L had sent the rest of the Kira task force home for a much-needed break. This meant Emi could come and go around their hotel suite as she pleased, and could work beside the Detective all day and all night without any interference. Emi had just been about to retire from the massive allnighter the two of them had just pulled when Watari had handed her the official-looking envelope.

She had opened it eagerly and had been relieved to see the acceptance letter, despite L's irritable assurances that she would get into the university. He, of course, had gotten in on full marks, as expected, but unlike him, Emi was not a genius. Sure she was smart in some areas, but she still needed to work hard to maintain a decent average and cram the knowledge in.

 _Unlike some people_

She scowled to herself as she caught sight of a suited grey figure sauntering across the courtyard.

Light Yagami had not changed since the last time she had seen him at the hospital. He was still tall, still smug, still ridiculously handsome and oh-so-brilliant.

As per L's instructions, Emi had refused Light's offers to catch up during the holidays, despite the fact the two of them maintained an almost daily correspondence over a messenger chat, emails and text messages. At the rate the two of them went at it, one would have thought they had been close friends since elementary school, or even boyfriend and girlfriend.

Emi shuddered. Ugh! The thought of dating Light Yagami might have been a dream come true for most people, male and female, but to Emi it was…well it was as alien as screwing a cockroach, and that was before she ever suspected him of being a mass murderer.

He was just too perfect, too refined...too in control. Even talking with him even over the computer, felt like…well talking to a computer. Every detail of his sentences seemed to be thoroughly analysed and filtered before they were posted. And in person…

Emi felt her palms itch as she remembered that strange red gleam she had seen in his eye at her mother's funeral.

Like a demon, she couldn't help but think.

A demon in disguise.

And what a disguise it was she mused as she met his gaze as it wandered over the crowd.

He squinted at her for a moment as he took a moment to take in her appearance, then suddenly smiled as he recognised her.

"Emi! Hey." He waved as he strode towards her, ignoring Ryuk's small snigger behind his back. "I'm sorry I almost didn't recognise you. You look so different than when we last saw one another. The short hair suits you."

"You think so?" Emi provided, her smile tightening uncomfortably as she pretended to wave it off airily. "Yeah, I thought since it's a new school, new life, might as well update my look…and a few limbs while I was at it," she added with a grin as she waved her arm, her jacket sleeve slipping down to reveal a dark blue and white arm cast that ran up just under her elbow.

"You're out of the sling?" Light's eyes brightened in surprise.

"I'm out of the sling" Emi smiled, real glee glinting in her brown eyes as she wiggled her now exposed thumb and fingers. "Though the doctor said I should still be careful and not put too much weight on it yet. Only simple exercises for now"

"Still it's so much better than last time." Light returned her smile, and once again, Emi found herself startled by how sincere he was being. This wasn't an act, not like when they had first met.

 _Well, like my dad always said, never look a gift horse in the mouth._

Emi thought grimly as she forced herself to continue chatting with Light with a friendly smile, all the while uncomfortably aware of a familiar pair of black panda eyes watching her from a respectable distance under the shade of a cherry blossom tree.

* * *

 _So she made contact with Light Yagami already…that was fast._

L mused as he watched the young woman and his key suspect both laugh at a shared joke as they made their way towards the amphitheatre entrance.

"Oh this, it's only for today." Emi shrugged as Light held the door open for her like a gentleman. "Trust me, come midnight the spell will be broken you'll find me wearing a raggy pair of track pants and a sweater covered in chip crumbs like a total grub."

 _So far, so good._

L chewed his lip as he quietly slunk forward to follow them both inside, still listening intently on their conversation.

"Oh come on, I'm sure it can't be that bad. Besides, you ought to see me on Laundry day at my house. I look like such a wreck even my sister can't stand to look at me" Light chuckled as he followed her into the building, yet before he shut the door he glanced about warily, almost as if he was sure he was being watched.

L, however, had been careful to hide behind a couple of bustling but mostly quiet students preparing to make their way in after Light and Emi as they made their way further inside.

 _"The fact that he doesn't like people following him means that he has to do something that is out of the ordinary to kill someone."_

That was what Emi had said before, wasn't it? L had to agree her observations might have been right.

Though he was genuinely enjoying Emi's company now, Light Yagami was not completely relaxed. Of course, it could be written off as first day jitters, especially since he had to give a speech as one of the chosen representatives for his entire cohort of new To-Oh Freshmen. However, L could see the way Light kept his spine ramrod straight and his hands by his sides.

 _He's trying so hard to keep up a perfect façade…like a department store mannequin._

L tilted his head slightly, stiffening ever so slightly as Emi glanced over her shoulder and caught his eye briefly as Light busied himself by trying to read all the signs set up that would lead them to their seats. Being a Freshman representative, Light would be seated front and centre along with all the professors and other representatives. Emi would be amongst the crowd, perhaps a few rows behind. Not exactly the best spot but still close enough to hopefully keep an eye on her new _friend._

And L…well…he'd be exactly where he needed to be.

His lips curled upwards in a small smirk.

This was probably going to be the most dangerous thing he'd ever done in his life, and L had done a ridiculous number of crazy things in his life as a detective. But this would trump them all.

And yet he did not feel afraid, only excited.

Finally it was time to act.

* * *

Light Yagami kept his gaze fixed straight ahead at the crowd as he stood to the side to let his fellow freshman representative, Hideki Ryuuga, conduct his speech.

He couldn't help it. Something was weird about this guy. He seemed so off, so…bizarre. Light had met a few odd people before. His newest _friend_ Emi was an oddball, yet even she knew how to keep a lid on her strangeness and blend into the crowd when the time called for it.

This guy though, this Ryuuga…it was almost like he was in another league of strange

Where all the students, staff and guests of the University had come decked out in either suits or very snazzy smart casual attire, this guy had instead dressed only in a baggy pair of old well-loved jeans, a plain white cotton top and the most worn-out pair of sneakers, with no socks and the laces all a mess.

His hair was unkempt like a birds nest and his eyes…the sight of them almost made Light shudder with disgust. They were pitch black like the darkest void, the fact that he lacked any eyebrows didn't seem to help much.

Light glanced into the crowd, and his eyes were quick to find Emi as she sat three rows behind where his and Ryuuga's vacated seats were in the front. She was watching both him and Ryuuga closely, but her expression was set in that unnerving calculated stare.

It was so sharp, so calm and yet so piercing that it made him bristle a little where he stood. Even Ryuk, who was a god of death, shifted uncomfortably under the spotlight, and he was invisible to everyone but Light.

 _She's probably wondering what a guy like Ryuuga is doing up here._

Light reasoned, chancing another sideways glance at his contemporary. He was not the only one unnerved by the other young man's presence.

Several other first-year students were looking at the messy hunched figure with a mixture of awe and slight disgust as he made to read off…

A blank sheet of paper? Light blinked as he saw the crushed, folded-up piece of paper Ryuuga was holding up delicately between long spindly fingers.

There was nothing on it.

"-As we embark on a new chapter of our lives-"

 _"New chapter of our lives?" Wait a minute; I just said that. Hang on, is this strange guy…is he repeating my speech from memory?!_

It took all Light had to keep his face neutral as Ryuuga finally finished reciting his _speech_ , giving a stiff, short bow from his hunched shoulders at the end as everyone clapped politely.

They both stepped off the stage, or instead Light strode while Ryuga slouched, much to the former's disgust.

Good grief just his luck he was now associated with this crazy weirdo. Light did not care how smart he was; he had worked too hard on his image to have it ruined by this-

"Light. Light Yagami?"

Light glanced back and saw that Ryuga was staring up at him with those disturbing coal-black eyes.

"Your father is Chief Soichirou Yagami of the NPA. Your respect for your father is matched only by your strong sense of justice."

 _Who the hell is this guy?_

Light frowned, uncomfortably aware that Emi's eyes were watching him from her spot as both he and his shadow approached their chairs, the latter still speaking in that soft strange monotone.

"You're planning on joining the police agency when you graduate, and you've already got experience seeing as you've already helped the police solve a number of cases in the past. Now you're showing an interest in the murder of Noriko Midoori and the Kira case. I'm impressed by your abilities and your sense of justice. If you promise not to tell anyone, I have important information concerning the Kira Investigation that I am willing to share with you."

 _Where is this coming from? And who is he? is it safe to just ignore him but…I wonder what this information actually is…_

Light could feel his palms sweating as he did his best to keep them as relaxed and loose as possible as they rested on his thighs. The hair on the back of his neck prickled as he glanced back to Emi's spot, wondering if she had noticed his discomfort.

But Emi's face was now fixed on her phone as she checked a message surreptitiously in her lap while tucking one side of her hair behind her ear.

That was good; the last thing he needed was her sticking her nose in right now.

He looked back up at Ryuuga, schooling his face into a mask of calm, quiet serenity as if L had merely asked him about the weather.

"I won't tell anyone. What is it?"

A silence followed. A ringing silence that made Light's stomach churn as dragons swirled ominously in his gut, only for them to vanish instantly as the stranger next to him opened his mouth and whispered in a rush.

"I want to tell you I'm L."

* * *

"I want to tell you I'm L."

 _Holy crap…holy crap what did he say?_

Emi looked up from her phone which she hid back up her sleeve and smoothed her hand once more over her ear where, hidden beneath the dark chocolaty locks, she had positioned a small wireless headphone.

So this was it. This was what he meant when he said this was going to be the most dangerous move. She sucked in a deep breath as she peered at Light Yagami and L through the heads of the few rows in front of her.

She had to admit she was beyond surprised herself. Of all the times to reveal his identity, this would have been the last she'd have thought. Anyone of their neighbouring students or professors could have been listening in like she was…or could they.

After all, L was whispering, his voice drowned as the MC boomed over the amphitheatre speakers and the people around them were chattering amongst themselves in hushed voices. The only reason Emi could hear them was that L had bugged himself and she had tuned herself into his microphone's live feed.

 _God, this is beyond crazy. I mean sure it's brilliant but…oh god damn you L, what do you think you you're doing, you could get killed, we could both get killed!_

Emi bit her lip as she watched Light turn his head, give his oh-so-perfect friendly smile and reach out to shake L's thin bony hand.

"If you are who you say you are, then you have nothing but my respect and admiration."

"Thank you." L nodded back politely "the reason I chose to reveal my identity to you is because I think you could be of some help to us in the Kira investigation."

There was a bone-numbing silence as both young men turned back to watch the assembly. Emi was now chewing her cheek frantically as she looked between the backs of the two heads.

It was difficult to make out their expressions from this angle, but it was clear to anyone with working eyes that Light Yagami's spine was as stiff as a metal ruler and that his skin had gone deathly pale.

 _Yikes, if he wasn't scared of L before he sure is now._

Emi gulped, clapping her hands absentmindedly as the dean of the University ended his long-winded and boring speech, only to gasp suddenly as what felt like a wall of cold passed straight through her.

As if jolted by static electricity Light Yagami wheeled his head around to look back at her, his brown eyes wide with surprise and alarm even as Emi shook her head and plastered a small apologetic smile in Light's direction.

When he frowned at her in concern, she rubbed her arms for emphasis.

His expression softened with relief, though he still looked very much shaken as he turned back. Not that anyone could blame him, for though she could not see it, the great hulking form of Ryuk was standing right behind her and chuckling invisible to her sight and hearing.

He was also horribly aware that Ryuuga-no-L was watching him closely.

"Is everything alright?" the detective's lips quirked upward as he looked back in Emi's direction.

"What, oh yeah, everything's fine. I just thought I saw someone." Light smiled, but his eyes were cold.

"A friend of yours?" L's lips curled as he met Emi's gaze for a split second, and she rolled her eyes as she saw the mischief brewing in those dark irises. For all his seriousness while on the job, the detective was not above toying with other people's emotions for his derisive entertainment.

"Yeah, a friend" Light clipped now even more uncomfortable as L spared him a small smirk.

"She's cute."

 _Wait for what?! L what the hell are you doing? Why are you going off script?_

Emi scowled, her cheeks flushing red despite herself. She knew L was baiting Light for a reaction, but this was pushing the limit and and calling her cute, pff! Yeah right as if Light Yagami liked her in that way to be jealous. Just what was L playing at?!

"Perhaps you could introduce us later." L prompted, and it took all she had in her not to facepalm.

 _What the-This wasn't part of the plan. L you sonofabitch. You tell me that I'm supposed to play by the rules and not associate with you in any single way, but here you are pushing for the two of us to meet face to face and become friends. Just what the hell are you playing at? Do you have a death wish for both of us?!_

"Perhaps…if we have time after this" Light answered stiffly, though inside he was now seething.

No-no-no. This was all going wrong. It was terrible enough Emi was observant about him, the last thing he needed was L or one of his associates getting their hands on her and questioning her about him.

After all, Emi was in his debt, his tool to use. If L wanted her, then he'd have to wait till Light was finished with her then he could take whatever scraps were left. Until then, however, whether she knew it or not, Emiko Minami was his to use as he pleased. And no one, not even the great detective L, could stop that.

Beside him, unnoticed by everyone as Light Yagami raged in his head, L's smirk widened ever so slightly.

 _Interesting…very interesting…Yes, this could work to our advantage._

He glanced back at Emi again, only to have her glare at him for a moment before astutely avoiding his gaze.

 _Now if only I can convince her to play along…Yes, this could work out very well indeed._

L leaned over his pulled-up knees and chewed his thumb victoriously.

Yes…things were looking up for them now.

* * *

 **And there we have it, L and Emi finally working together and applying pressure to Light from both sides.**

 **L is Bad cop and Emi is the good cop. And Ryuk is just that one guy sitting on the side smiling and eating all the apples like popcorn.**

 **Of course with Emi's involvement, it will get slightly AU but hopefully not by much, at least not till much later i don't think (i don't know the story plans for then are a little up in the air)**

 **For Emi's observations about the case files, I personally think that Emi would have already looked through the files once she had come under L's protection but it took her a while to connect the dots until L prompted her in their conversation.**

 **Anyways hope you guys enjoyed and please keep faving and reviewing for more :)**

 **Cheers**

 **Fuzzy Beta**


	7. The Lovers

**Chapter 7: The Lovers**

 _Upright – Love, Union, Choices_

 _Reversed – Disharmony, imbalance, misalignment of values_

* * *

 **April 6th 2004**

"No. No. It's out of the question."

"Emi-"

"Oh, don't Emi me. There's a good reason I stay out of sports, and that's because I stink to high heaven."

"Just to clarify, are you referring to your athletics skills being rubbish or how much you literally smell after you sweat?"

"Argh! You know sometimes I can't believe how much of an ass you can be!"

"And I can't believe how much trouble you're giving me over one tennis match."

There was a silence as the dark shaggy head of L smirked at a very irritable, red-faced Emi over the top of the kitchen island counter.

It was the dead of night; the Kira Investigation Taskforce had just left a couple of hours ago. Emi had come out of her room for some fresh air (i.e. to retrieve more snacks from the hotel suite's mini-bar) when L had approached her with plans for the next day's investigation.

Not surprisingly Emi had been very stubborn in disagreeing to the idea of helping profile Light Yagami through challenging him to a tennis match. For one thing, when it came to ball sports, her hand-eye co-ordination was abysmal; and secondly, she did not like the idea of backing Light Yagami into a corner so soon after L revealed his identity. It would be too risky.

He was sure to be on high alert and would most likely be suspicious of everyone and everything. If he was Kira and he felt Emi was too nosy, he could just as quickly kill her after forcing her to spill the beans on everything with his powers to manipulate the way his victims acted before they had a heart attack.

Of course such a thing could only be possible if Kira knew Emi's true name. He still remembered her as Emiko Minami-Midori. Emi shuddered to think what would happen if he discovered her real name.

"If you're still worried about Light Yagami or anyone else finding out your true identity I wouldn't worry" L droned as he turned his attention back to his laptop, which was on the kitchen island in front of him. "Almost all the files about your father and your sister have all but been wiped from all servers save one, the location of which only I can know of." He spared Emi a pointed piercing look. "I wouldn't bother trying to figure out how to reach it or get me to talk. Besides if the worst comes to worst then it's probably safer if you don't know where the files are stored."

Emi opened her mouth, shut it, swallowed, then nodded mutely.

Annoying jerk though he was sometimes, L did have a point. He was way better at keeping secrets than she was.

"Okay fine. Fine, you've made your point." She scowled, adding on quickly "And okay, I'll come to the stinking tennis match. But I won't play, I'll just watch on the sidelines and keep score, seeing as I still have to rest this arm of mine." She held up her still injured arm in its cast.

"Of course, now let's go over the plan one more time. Tomorrow you will either meet up with Light for a class or _accidentally_ stumble across myself and Light on campus; Light will then _officially_ introduce the two of us. We'll chat as if we're hitting it off fast, maybe even flirt a little, that should press on his nerves somewhat. Then we'll invite you to watch our tennis match during which you will watch and keep score. Then after the match, you will leave to go to your next lecture while I take Light out to grill him over the details of the Kira Investigation using those pictures you printed and edited for me last night. Then we'll come back to campus, Light will meet you for your shared lecture, and you can gently ease the pressure by being the caring, concerned friend."

"That all sounds hunky-dory to me" Emi folded her arms. "But what is it with you wanting to pretend you want to ask me out? First, at the Orientation Ceremony, calling me cute and now _flirting?_ I mean I know I've made it into the friendship circle, but Light doesn't see me as any sort of girlfriend material. Why on Earth would he care that you would have feelings for me? Unless…Unless…"

Her voice trailed off as she met L's expectant gaze.

"You sonofabitch! Of course, you want me to get close to him, then get him to ask me to turn double agent to spy on you?"

"That is the eventual goal, yes." L quirked a hairless eyebrow "Look, Light Yagami might not care for you that much, but he is possessive and childish. If he is Kira, he'd most likely think that by saving you in your accident that he is entitled to own your life. And while you might not fit the profile of his preferred female partners, you are still a lonely heiress with a substantial fortune, a member of Japan's, and possibly, the world's elite. Kira works alone, but that still doesn't mean he won't use people to get what he wants, especially if it can get him in touch with the right resources and people. And right now you're in the perfect position for him to make his move. Your family is dead; you're alone, vulnerable-"

"Could you speak up, I don't think my mother could hear you from her grave" Emi snarled as she stalked away to roughly yank open the refrigerator and snag the last large slice of a moist round cheesecake.

"You're not going to eat the whole thing, are you?" L mumbled, eyeing the cake and pouting as she speared a moist, creamy mouthful onto her dessert fork and shoved it into her mouth.

"It's just one slice, and besides you had nearly all of the damn thing already" she muttered through a full mouth.

"That was a few hours ago-"

"Yeah well now this is my piece, whatcha gonna do about it?" Emi smirked as she took a deliberately slow bite of her cake.

L scowled, his glare fixing on her intently as he watched her cheeks dip inwards as she sucked the moist, spongy dessert on her fork with derisive smugness.

"Remind me again why I invited you to live with me?" He muttered grumpily.

"Because you wanted to pimp me out to spy on our number one Kira suspect who might, in turn, want to pimp me out to you to get information about your identity so he can kill you?" Emi countered as she took another large bite of cake, some of the frosting smearing the corners of her mouth this time.

L's stomach churned, and he quickly turned his attention back to the half-eaten slice of cake resting on a plate between them.

"It won't be _'pimping out'_ if you volunteer. Besides, you don't have to sleep with Light to get close to him…not unless you want to." He muttered, grateful that his hair hid his ears which for some reason were tingling ever so slightly.

Now it was Emi's turn to raise her eyebrows. Was it just her imagination, or did L look a little flustered? The tips of his pale cheeks were tinged pink, and he had almost sounded angry at the idea of her sleeping with Light Yagami.

Yes, the notion repulsed Emi, but that was only because the Light she had come to know honestly creeped her out.

 _Ugh there I go again overthinking everything. Of course, L doesn't care about whether I like Light; he's probably just irritated because I'm eating his cake!_

"So…" She clucked her tongue as she looked up at the ceiling, searching for something to fill the uncomfortable silence that had stretched between the two of them "Tennis, huh? You play a lot?"

"Not anymore. I was once the British Junior Champion, but that was years ago" L mumbled oh so casually as he did his best to settle himself better on his barstool.

"British! HA! I knew it!" Emi snorted much to the detectives' great surprise.

"When you speak English, I mean, you don't have much of an accent, but when you say words like vase you say V-Ah-se, not V-ay-se, and when you say herbal you pronounce the letter H. Also when you spelt out the words like _'realise'_ in English you used an _s_ instead of a z, only those raised to use British English do that."

L blinked, as the smug smirk flickered on her lips once more as she chewed. Now there was only one bite of her cake left, the sweet smell of the cheesy cream wafting tantalisingly into his nose.

 _Why you cheeky little-_

He scowled grumpily. Deducing part of his identity while showing off was one thing. But, to eat the last piece of _his_ cake while doing so was just too devious for his liking. Besides, if anyone should be eating that cake, it should have been him.

Without even pausing to blink, his fingers plucked deftly at the last piece of creamy sponge left on the plate.

"HEY!" Emi growled, nostrils flaring and eyes flashing as L popped the piece into his mouth, grinning as he chewed it slowly and deliberately in her face.

"I did warn you" he mumbled through a mouthful, his finger already reaching forward to swipe the crumbs and excess cream off the plate.

But Emi was too quick. With an almost surprising speed, she picked up the plate and licked three long broad swipes over the surface, polishing most of it but leaving one small smear of icing.

She set it down between them, her brown eyes glinting with fierce determination.

He wanted to be childish and petty, okay; two could play at that game.

L stared at the plate in front of him, his nostrils flaring as he met her gaze with a steely one of his own.

That was it, she was asking for it, the gloves were off.

Emi all but squeaked in surprise as a pale hand reached out, grabbed her by the scruff of her pink sweater and tugged her forwards. Then in a flash, something hot and wet swiped against her cheek, grazing the corner of her lips as it swept up the cream smeared at that point, then up to a point just under her eye.

Without pausing to think, her hand swiped outwards, flesh hitting flesh with a resounding " _splat!_ "

L grunted as he felt her petite fingers and palm collide with his cheek. It was not a hard slap, but it was surprising, though nowhere near as alarming as the sight that met him when he looked back into her face.

She was trembling like a leaf, lips quivering as they pursed into a thin line. She too it seemed had been stunned by her reaction even as she retracted her hand swiftly away close to her chest as if his mere touch burned her.

But worst of all was the small flicker of fear he saw brewing in the depths of her brown eyes. A fear directed at him…almost as if she were afraid of what he would do next. Would he get angry and yell? Would he strike back? L was, after all, a lot taller than her and deceptively stronger than his lanky form suggested. He could easily overpower her if he wanted to…not that he ever would. Still even the notion that she could even think that of him for a split second stung more than he dared to admit.

Before he could stop it, guilt swelled up in L's gut, so fierce that he could not bear to meet her eye even as he mumbled:

"Forgive me…what I did…that was uncalled for."

"Y-You think?" Emi scowled, but L could see her tense shoulders suddenly sag a little with relief as she lowered her hand from its defensive position though she still eyed him warily even as he pulled away to answer his phone from his pocket.

"Moshi-Moshi? Oh yes…yes…Yes if you could please patch that information through that would be helpful. Thank you Watari, let me know if anything changes." He hung up the line and turned back to the kitchenette where Emi was now washing her plate in the sink, purposefully not looking at him, her own eyes wells of guilt.

He opened his mouth to speak but upon doing so, found his voice stuck in his throat.

 _Just what the hell is wrong with me? I apologised so why is this so awkward? Why won't the words come out?_

L silently cursed himself as he tried opening his mouth again, only to find that once again no sound would come out except for a soft, strangled grunt.

 _Oh great, now I must look like a moron._

He could feel his ears burning as Emi glanced nervously at him through the corner of her eyes as she rinsed out her hands. He shut his mouth quickly and shuffled away as fast as he could, completely missing the way Emi's eyes softened just a fraction as she said:

"So…what did Watari say?"

L stopped in his tracks, not daring to look back for fear of exposing his embarrassed expression.

"Kira has killed several more high-profile inmates at a correctional facility in Kyoto," he said, his monotone voice even more robotic than usual.

 _The case…that's it. Talk about the case, after all, that is the main reason she's here._

"Was it just a heart attack, or was it like his experiments with the notes?" Emi sighed softly as she set her plate to dry on the rack next to the sink.

"I'm not sure. I was just going to look over the files Watari sent. I'll just send them across to your computer once I check them" L murmured and before Emi could say anything else he strode into his room and shut the door with a snap behind him.

Behind him at the kitchen, Emi sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

Great…she had screwed up again. Though how she had screwed up, she was not sure. She had just reacted as anyone else would to someone licking their face against their will, then again, he might not have resorted to such a crude, childish ploy if she had been more mature about the cake.

 _But…It was just a slice of cake, and he's a full-grown man. If he cannot share, then he's got to buck up and learn how to deal with it like everyone else. Even so…maybe a slap was too much…but I could not help it. It was just a knee jerk reaction._

"Argh! What is wrong with me?!" she growled as she looked out of the glass balcony door, her brown eyes softening as she pulled out her mobile phone from her pocket and pulled up a number.

"Nao-Chan what would you do?"

* * *

 **April 7th 2004**

 _Oh god, I hope this doesn't go to shit._

Emi sighed softly to herself as she leaned back in her chair and watched professor drone on and on about criminal law in front of a projector and a large chalkboard.

After having spent most of yesterday signing up for their courses and being taken through orientation by the university staff, all the students now had to sit through almost hour upon hour of an orientation in each of their classes.

Not that Emi needed much of orientation, for she had spent most of the previous night hacking into the university databases and had downloaded all the yearly syllabuses for each of her classes. Which was just as well, for Emi had no patience for boring teachers and had almost shut her brain off to his voice as soon as he'd started speaking.

Oh yes, she took notes on her laptop and notepad, but that was merely window dressing to keep herself looking normal while she focused herself on her real mission, i.e. observing the young man sitting next to her.

Light Yagami was composed and perfect as always as he listened politely and took his notes. But Emi could see that even his usual astute attention was waning as he tapped his pencil distractedly over a page of his syllabus.

He was on edge about something, and it became apparent when she chanced a glance over her shoulder that he was looking a few rows behind them, right at a shaggy hunched head of black.

Emi gulped. Unlike Light, who was always sitting like he had something sharp poking constantly into his backside, L perched in his usual fashion, shoulders hunched but relaxed. His black eyes were almost bored as they assessed the notes the professor had made on the blackboard. Occasionally he'd glance from his spot at Emi and Light, but always looked back at the teacher if either one of them spotted him doing so.

 _He probably knows most of these laws back to front. Hell, give him a day or two to study everything in the syllabus, and he'd probably be able to teach this class and then some._

Yet as the thought crossed Emi's mind, so too did the feeling of something warm and wet swiping across her cheek.

 _UGH! Why brain why? Why do you have to remember that at the worst of times?_

She felt her cheeks burn hotly again as she caught L's eye for the briefest of seconds. Though his expression remained neutral, she thought she saw a small smidgeon of colour appear on his ever-pale cheeks. Then the moment was gone, and he was once again staring down the back of Light Yagami's head with such intensity it was surprising that the brown head of hair was not catching fire.

Emi's lips pursed as she turned back to her notes, trying her best to keep her face blank. However, something of her discomfort must have shown because Light leaned over to whisper:

"Hey, you okay?"

"What? Oh yeah, I'm okay. Tired." Emi blinked and shook her head, willing herself to look anywhere but at L as she felt his coal-black eyes boring into the back of her head. After chancing another glance behind them, Light's lips quirked upwards with amusement.

"Looks like you've got yourself an admirer."

"Are you sure it's not you that he's admiring, oh Freshman Representative?" Emi murmured nonchalantly, silently cursing herself as she felt her cheeks flush a deep crimson as Light's smirk widened ever so slightly.

"Even if he was, I don't swing that way. Besides, he's already told me that he thought you were cute and that he'd like to get to know you. So, I think the verdict is pretty conclusive."

 _Yes, I know, I was eavesdropping via my phone and a bug in his shirt-God damn that shirt, you'd think he'd at least iron his clothes once before going out?!_

Emi mentally rolled her eyes, remembering a little argument she had overheard between the young detective and his caretaker Watari about that very issue from that morning. Out loud, she said:

"He did? When was this?"

"At the entrance ceremony…and yesterday when he and I went to class together." Light shrugged oh so casually, but Emi could see all his muscles in his neck and shoulders were tense as he forced himself to say. "Look, I know he's a bit odd, but he doesn't seem so bad, once you get to talking with him. He's interesting, and I think the two of you would get along like a house on fire."

 _Translation: You think I'm also odd and that by pushing me into his path, he might either get distracted or let his guard down for me and then you'll swoop in for the kill._

Emi thought, shrugging as she caught Light's eye and mumbled:

"Well if he wants to meet me then all he has to do is walk up and talk. It's not that hard."

"That's what I said." Light lowered his voice conspiratorially "But between you and me I don't think he's got that much experience talking to cute girls, and I think he likes you. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to give him a chance. And if you don't like him, you could always say no."

"Well…uh…Well, I suppose when you put it like that…" Emi faltered as she felt her already flaming cheeks heat up even more.

Damnit! This little bastard was going all out to push her at L, wasn't he? And calling her cute with that condescending slight sneer, oh how she wished she could knock his lights out.

 _Ha, knocking Light's lights out. That would be something._

She smirked, but she was spared the trouble of responding as Light leaned closer to whisper.

"Look I've got a tennis match with him after this class, why don't' you come along. I know you can't play with your arm, but maybe you could keep score? We could all go out afterwards for lunch or something, hang out for a bit before the next class."

"Well…I suppose…" Emi mumbled, the back of her neck tingling. So far, L's plan to get her involved in his and Light's circle of friends was working well, but she knew she was walking a fragile tightrope. One wrong step on either side and she was dead meat…literally.

"Okay sure, why not. It could be fun" she sighed with a shrug, shutting her mouth as the teacher asked the class a question and Light put up his hand to answer.

As he spoke, she quickly whipped out her phone from the pocket of her light blue denim jacket, and texted with swift deft fingers, making extra sure to keep it hidden on the side furthest from Light, yet high enough so that L could see her hand.

She heard the rustle of denim behind her and looked up just in time to see L's face reflected faintly in her clean, pristine laptop screen. He was looking down at his lap, pale lips curling with satisfaction as he read her message.

 _I'm in. Go for the kill._

* * *

Though L knew that Emi would have no trouble worming her way into Light's inner circle, he still had not expected everything to go this smoothly.

Light Yagami wanted eyes and ears on L as quickly as possible. Why else would he so blatantly play _matchmaker_ for the two of them? In hindsight, L had to admit his stunt with Emi the night before had been a strange blessing in disguise, as their current awkwardness would only help to make their official _shy boy-meets-girl-introduction_ believable when the time came.

Ever since he had licked her face, things between the detective and his (for lack of a better word) partner had been uncomfortable. They had tried to talk with one another since then throughout the night. Yet, all they could speak of was the case and their plan to get close to Light Yagami. Everything else, the light banter, the sarcastic comments, the occasional teasing, and playful testing of one another's patience had all but dried up, replaced by a strictly professional sombreness.

And to his great surprise, L found himself hating it.

However, he kept his thoughts to himself as he looked up from where he was sitting with his sports bag on a bench outside the University tennis courts.

"Oh, hey Light, there you are…" he paused where he sat.

Light Yagami was walking towards him decked out in his white tennis gear, alongside Emi, who was wearing a wool-lined baby blue denim jacket over a white tank top and a long pale pink maxi skirt that fluttered around her sandal-clad ankles in the slight breeze. Her white arm cast was visible as she made to readjust her magenta glasses over her nervous brown eyes.

It was then L noticed that, unlike an hour ago, she had brushed out her hair and was wearing trace amounts of makeup to highlight her warm brown eyes beneath her glasses and had put lip balm on her pale pink lips.

 _Good, she's playing up her femininity just like we discussed. Hmm, I must admit she does clean up rather well._

L smirked in approval as he looked the young woman up and down. If there was one thing L could be sure of was that, Kira or not, Light liked to be the gallant and brave Knight in Shining armour when it came to the opposite sex. And while he pretended to be respectful to all women, it was clear to any who bothered observing him closely, that Light would only surround himself with female company of a generally high calibre of beauty to further his perfect image.

The more feminine and damsel-like they appeared, the better. Of course, Light did value intelligence in his choice of companions, but they could not be better than him. No, he had to have someone intelligent for him not to be bored, while dumb enough for him to control.

Which is why L found it very suspicious that Light should keep such close contact with Emi of all people, for she fit into neither category. Sure, she was cute in her mousy awkward way, but she was nowhere near Light's tastes which ventured towards either sweet, delicate, and charming, or tall, slender, and sultry. Academically she was not as brilliant as Light (though she was still above average). However, what she lacked in genius she made up for with impulsiveness, craftiness, independence, and incredible powers of perception. Four things a man like Light hated above all else in his perfect controlled little world.

 _Superficial perfect, like a stage director building a set for a play._

L could not help but feel as he forced a fake smile onto his face as he waved at Light oh so cheerily.

"I already booked the court. It should be empty in five minutes."

"Hey, thanks, Ryuuga." Light smiled back, but L could see the tenseness in the younger man's jaw.

 _Emi was right; he never does seem to relax at all, does he?_

L thought as Light stepped aside to present a now very stiff Emi who was looking about as skittish as an antelope that had just realised it was trapped between two lions in the tall grass.

"I hope you don't mind. I brought my friend Emi to join us. Emi this is Hideki Ryuuga. The other Freshman representative I was telling you about."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Ryuuga-san" Emi gulped, her cheeks flushing darkly as she held out her uninjured arm towards L who was quick to cough and stutter oh-so-innocently:

"I-It's so nice to finally meet you M-Minami-san." L ran a ' _nervous'_ hand through his hair before gripping Emi's slightly clammy hand in his, making sure to hold it for a few seconds longer than necessary, all the while making sure to gaze "intently" into her eyes.

Though she was pretending to smile, he could almost see the nerves and anxiety glimmering feverishly in the mousy brown depths. She was scared. So, afraid of screwing up. Now that he thought about it, this was the first time they had established physical contact since the incident from last night.

Without thinking, his grip on her hand changed slightly, his fingers being sure to squeeze hers gently, as he silently tried to reassure her and calm her nerves. It was one thing to be bashful, another to be terrified out of your wits, and L needed her to keep her head, no matter how uneasy she still felt.

Emi seemed to get his message, for she quietly sucked in a deep soothing breath just as Light made to clear his throat very loudly.

"Ahem,"

L quickly let go of Emi's hand, his smirk hidden behind his hand as he pretended to splutter and cough with fake embarrassment. "I'm sorry, for you must forgive me. It's just, Light's told me so much about you, but he failed to mention just how cute you were up close," he added and was amused to see the momentary spark of anger flash in her brown eyes as she flushed the shade of a tomato.

But she was quick to recover herself with a pretend nervous smile as she said:

"Oh…uh thank you so much, that's so sweet of you. Light's told me much about you. It's nice he has another friend at a similar level to him that can keep up with him. Not like little old me." She added softly and was not disappointed when she saw Light's chest puff up ever so slightly with pride even as he made to protest.

"Emi you mustn't put yourself down. After all, you wouldn't have gotten into To-ho if you weren't smart. After all, you did make the top fifteen per cent" He smiled down at Emi, a condescending sneer just peeking out on the corner of his lips.

 _No wonder Emi can't stand him._

L wondered to himself quietly, his gut bubbling hotly despite himself.

 _He treats me with respect and gives me space because he sees me as his equal, but when he looks at Emi, even when he's being "kind" he's always looking down at her always as if he's better than her. I suppose I should be thankful he's so arrogant, if only because that's the only reason Emi's probably still alive right now and not under suspicion._

However, L held his cool as he replied with a widening smirk:

"Beauty and brains, my, my Light you do sure know how to pick them."

Emi's face had such a deep blush that she now closely resembled a beetroot.

 _Great, now that's two condescending genius assholes I have to deal with._

She grumbled in her head as she stuttered out a shy thanks for the compliment before helping settle her stuff down on a nearby bench.

Prudent as ever, Light had chosen a tennis court closest to the edge where they could have a bench on the sidelines to put all their bags and gear with Emi who would be keeping score.

"Are you sure you don't wish to play. You could borrow my racket if you'd like? Nothing major just take a few swings to get you warmed up." Light oh-so-gallantly offered her with a friendly smile.

"Oh Light that's sweet. I really wish I could join you two-" Emi smiled back through a tense jaw as she tried her best to ignore L's small derisive snort under his breath as he laced his grubby sneakers "-But honestly, I'm no good at racket sports. My cardio has always been crap and my hand-eye co-ordination is abysmal. I'd just slow you both down. And besides, the doc said I should still be resting this."

She held up her arm in the cast with a small smile before adding:

"My eyesight on the other hand is not too shabby so I'll keep score"

 _Now I have the opportunity to sit next to Light's bag. Agh! If only I had a blank burner phone with me, then I could have cloned his phone while he was busy._

Emi thought as she made to sit down beside said bag on a bench to the side of the court, listening intently as L and Light compared tennis experience.

It wasn't long before the subject of L's British roots popped up, but the detective was quick to brush it off and Light did not press him further, though he did look somewhat peeved.

 _So far so good._

Emi frowned as she watched L make an exceptionally aggressive first serve much to Light's surprise.

"Whoa Ryuuga you sure don't mess around."

"He who strikes first wins" L shrugged nonchalantly before making to serve again.

This time Light was ready. He rallied back with a spectacularly placed backhand swipe that sent he ball flying so hard and so fast that Emi was sure it was going to land a point. However, once again L proved his skill as he swiftly stepped to the side to return the ball with a smooth and surprisingly graceful forward stroke of his racket.

 _Hmph! What do you know, the two of them are actually kinda good._

"Whoa, check it out." A voice whispered in awe behind her.

Emi glanced through the corner of her eye and saw to her surprise a few other college students gaping at their court.

"Wow they're so good"

"Who are they?"

Emi rolled her eyes as she turned back to watch the game, trying not to smirk as she called out a score L had made against Light.

 _Sheesh. You'd think these people never watched a decent game of tennis before._

But no, who was she to judge? After all, growing up in a rich household she had of course had the opportunity to see some of the world's top sports tournaments live and up close.

Of course, while L and Light were good players in their own right, they still were nowhere near as refined nor technically smooth as the pros who lived and breathed the sport every day. Then again, even she had to admit, there was something oddly compelling about watching the two brilliant young men go head to head in this fierce fast-paced duel.

 _It's like watching two wild animals fighting it out for dominance._

Emi's eyes narrowed as she focused with all her might on the bout before her.

 _They're just so intent on ferociously killing one another that you cannot, no, will not look away no matter how brutal it gets because you want to see which one will win and become the king._

She felt her heart hammer in her chest as she made to watch Light Yagami's face. He was sweating profusely, his brow furrowed with intense concentration as he focused all his energy on his opponent's movements. So, calculating yet so quick to adapt to his situation as he pressed forwards aggressively, going for the jugular with every strike.

L on the other hand was being far too defensive in Emi's opinion. If he wanted to win he needed to pull off something so powerful and spontaneous that it would intimidate Light and make him stumble from the impact.

"That's four games all. Light Yagami to serve!" A voice called and Emi jumped as she looked beside her and saw to her surprise that two of the staff that kept watch over the tennis court were now standing in as umpire and line judge.

Emi quickly looked down at her watch and gulped as she realized she had already been sitting on the side for almost an entire hour.

She had been so absorbed in watching L and Light's tennis battle that she had almost forgotten about the time. Now as she looked up she could see that there was a much bigger crowd surrounding their game, all of them murmuring excitedly and whispering their theories about who would win.

From the looks of things, L and Light were evenly matched for skill and ability. The real question was who could hold out the longest as they pushed at victory with every fibre in their being.

Then suddenly Emi felt something like a cold gust of wind suddenly swoosh through her so fast it set her teeth on edge and her entire body trembling.

 _Dammit!_

She cursed herself for as the chill had settled, she felt her gut churn uncomfortably. She rubbed at her forehead where she could feel beads of sweat and looked up. Despite that sudden gust, the sun was beating down hard on her, for now the clouds had cleared and left the sky empty and blue.

 _Maybe I should get under some shade for a bit. Besides the umpire has everything covered._

Emi got up to her feet shakily, unaware that her abrupt movement had caught Light's eye.

 _Oh she's just moving._

He shook himself quickly only to curse as he saw the ball hurtling fast towards his face as L lobbed it over the net with a hard hit.

Reacting on impulse more than anything, Light lashed out with his racket, sending the ball flying, not back to L, but to the side-

 _Kathwack! Thud!_

People gasped as the petite bespectacled brunette suddenly dropped, her long pink skirt fluttering in the breeze as she fell hard on her side.

"Holy Crap Emi!" Light cried out as L quickly signalled a time out to the umpire who blew his whistle and quickly called for a first aid kit.

Emi meanwhile was still lying on the ground, groaning, and moaning in pain as she slowly regained consciousness.

 _What the hell-Ow! What happened?_

She was vaguely aware of people talking around her, though the sound felt drowned out like a badly tuned radio. The side of her head was throbbing painfully, and her shoulder hurt from where she had fallen upon it. She was quick to note that she had, luckily, not fallen on her broken arm, but on her normal one instead. Oh well, it may be bruised but at least she could deal with it. She only wished she could say the same about her head.

 _God what hit me? A bomb?!_

She groaned as she tried to sit up only to sway ominously, however this time someone was quick to catch her.

"Easy there Emi-chan. Easy. You had a pretty nasty fall"

Emi blinked as she looked up and saw the blurred outlines of two figures, one with brown hair and one with a shock of black hair, looming above her, slightly silhouetted against the bright sky above.

"My glasses-" she grunted and at once the brown form reached out to the side.

"I've got them. Here."

Emi stiffened as she saw a large blurred pale hand reach out and gently put her glasses back onto her face. She blinked as the very pale and shaken faces of Light and L came into view.

"Oh…hey guys. What happened?" She grunted

"You got hit in the head with the ball by accident." L muttered quietly, doing his best to ignore the frantic murmurings behind his back as the crowd that had been watching them were quickly ushered back by the Line judge and the umpire.

"Ball? What ball?" Emi blinked her mind feeling blissfully blank as she looked up at the sky above. Wow, that really was a pretty shade of blue…

"Think back." L prompted gently, his monotone voice oddly soothing to her ears. "what is the last thing you remember?"

"I remember…I remember…" Emi winced as she thought back to what happened. "I…I was watching you two play, then I felt a little ill…I think I had been out in the sun a bit too long so I stood up to go stand in the shade for a bit then-then I woke up here on the ground-ow!" she hissed in pain as she tried to sit up using her injured arm in the cast.

"I'm so sorry Emi. It was all my fault; I didn't look where I was hitting the ball." Light apologised, his voice strained as guilt and frustration etched itself along every feature of his handsome face as he helped her sit up slowly, rubbing a hand over her back.

"It's okay. These things happen. I probably shouldn't have sat so close to the court anyway." Emi grunted waspishly as she curled up her knees and rested her forehead on them. "Damn, ugh, is there an ice pack around or something?"

"I think there's one in the sports centre. Until then here, you can hold this to your head" Light pulled out his clean small sweat towel and poured his entire water bottle over it. After wringing out the excess water, he folded it up and pressed it gently to the side of Emi's head where a rather large red lump was beginning to swell.

"We should get her to the nurses office, they can contact someone to come take her home so she can rest it off" L suggested helpfully to Light as he distractedly made to put his water bottle back into his bag.

"Good idea, but maybe one of us should carry her. It might not be a good idea to let her walk yet."

 _Talking about me as if I'm not there, the goddamn nerve of these two, they deserve one another! It was just a small hit I can look after myself!_

Emi thought angrily, the throbbing pain in her head and shoulder driving out all reason and clear thought from her head even as she made to clumsily get to her feet, only to stumble as she saw double vision.

"Whoa, hey-hey! What do you think you're doing?!" Light called out but already L had scooped a dizzy Emi up into his arms.

"It's alright I got her. Perhaps if you could help get the bags?"

The first thing that hit the detective was how warm her petite body was. It really was like holding a tiny flame close in the palms of his hands, thrumming and humming with life.

 _How can something so small and frail be so stubborn and headstrong at the same time?_

He mused as he tried and failed to ignore her scent wafting into his nose. That strawberry and cream of her shampoo mixed with something naturally flowery. It really was quite pleasant.

 _Ugh! What am I doing? Just drop her off at the nurse's office and call Watari to pick her up. She's done her part for the day._

He cursed himself inwardly, though he could not help but feel slightly smug at the indignant fury that flashed over Light's brown eyes for the briefest of moments. Then it was gone, hidden behind that perfect mask.

"Of course. I'll get our bags."

They were quick to set off as fast as they could, the nearby sports centre employees taking their rackets and offering to sign them out on their behalf. The crowd of admirers were quick to disperse, murmuring excitedly over what they had just seen.

 _Well…this was a turnout and no mistake._

Emi snorted internally as she let L carry her all the way up the stairs. Normally she would have argued at being handled like a stupid damsel in distress. However, she was quick to shut her mouth as the detective spared her a very pointed look while Light's back was turned to them.

"Y'know you're surprisingly strong" She murmured quietly to the detective only to flush as he quirked an eyebrow at her "I-I mean for your build. Not that I thought you were weak, but you are on the thin side and well…I know I can't be that light-"

"It's alright, you're a fairly average weight for your height." L grunted as they completed the steps only to smirk softly. "Honestly, I think poor Light has got the short end of the stick when it comes to weightlifting right now."

Emi glanced over L's shoulder and almost snorted with laughter as she saw Light a few steps below them struggling to rearrange the straps of all their bags on his shoulders. She looked back at L her grin falling as she realised that she was once more almost nose to nose with him.

She turned her flushed face away again and coughed:

"So, what do we do now? We didn't plan for this to happen."

" _We_ are not going to do anything." L muttered tersely his own ears slightly pink as well at their proximity. " _You_ are going to go to the nurse's office and then go back to the hotel with Watari. _I_ will go through the rest of our plan as we discussed. And then you can call Light later to check in on him when Watari has made sure you have fully rested."

He paused glancing at her through the corner of her eye as she pouted irritably at him.

"Look it's just a bump on the head, I could manage myself if I had some aspirin, a dark room and an audiobook. No need to add to the poor old man's already hectic life."

 _Poor old man? Che! If only she knew exactly what that "poor old man" was capable of she wouldn't feel that sorry._

L snorted to himself as he finally acquiesced to drop Emi's feet to the ground so she could try walking. She was slightly shaky at first, but after a few steps was quick to stabilize herself once more, though L stood behind her holding onto both her hands to guide her like a gentleman.

"Injuries aside, the plan is going well. Indeed, your actions might have sped things up a notch." He whispered into her ear, wondering vaguely why she was still so flustered by the proximity. If they were going to talk about their plan in public then surely, she'd rather Light not hear them? And what better way to sell his excuse for getting close to her then to pretend to show off and play the hero to "win her affections".

Emi meanwhile gulped as she tried to stay her nerves. Talking about the plan quietly in broad daylight was one thing, but Emi was still not used to having her personal bubble invaded so intimately. There was something about his low monotone so close in her ear that made her body shudder in a surprisingly thrilling way-

 _No what the hell am I doing? Ugh! It's this damn concussion that's making me act like an idiot, it's got to be!_

She was glad when they finally reached the nurses office and she was settled down to sit with a proper ice pack wrapped in a soft cloth pressed against her head.

 _Ugh! And I still have that Introduction to Criminal Psychology class this afternoon. Now I have to go home like a good little girl while the boys get to go outside to play in the clubhouse._

She pouted as she listened to L and Light. Now that they had succeeded in getting her to the nurse's office, they were determined to make sure that they sat with her until someone from her security detail came to pick her up and take her home.

They had once more engaged in a verbal bout of one-upmanship against one another, trying to figure out who won their match. Both were convinced that the other had been the winner and were attempting to boost their own self-images by showing how brilliantly _humble_ they were in the face of _defeat_.

Never had Emi been so tempted to slap either of them. She had been around enough fake-humble-bullshit rich socialites in her life and they always irritated her. What was the point of appearing selfless if you were only doing it for selfish reasons?

From what she had seen as she had watched them play, the score had been a tie. However, they were both so eager to be the best that they would not admit they had hit a stalemate.

 _Well, hopefully L can gain some more ground when they go out for coffee later._

Emi chewed her lip as twenty minutes later she was assisted into the shiny black car by Watari, who fussed over her as he noticed the rather red raised lump.

"Oh goodness, that does look rather big now doesn't it." The older man frowned as he bent her head down to examine the bump carefully. "Don't worry, you can rest it off peacefully back at the hotel. Unfortunately, you will have to stay locked in your rooms for the rest of the day, as the rest of the Taskforce are currently still looking through some files and might have to stay the night."

"I'm sure I can manage. Thanks Watari," Emi grunted as she made to sit in the back seat.

It was then that she felt it. That rush of cold, the very same one that she had felt just before Light had hit her with the ball. It had swept through her as if she had walked through a sheet of ice.

"Are you alright my dear? Not feeling dizzy, are you?" Watari frowned in concern, but Emi was quick to brush him off.

"No, no. I'm okay. I'm all good." She smiled, though even as the old man made to shut the door behind her and hop into the driver's seat, Emi could not help but look over her shoulder and back out the window.

Had it just been her imagination, or had she heard someone snigger wickedly behind her?

 _I'm still probably concussed. Probably hearing someone outside._

She shook herself as she leaned back and shut her eyes in her seat, unaware of the invisible hulking form of Ryuk the Shinigami, chuckling with mirth to himself as he hovered back over to where Light and L stood talking quietly to one another at the entrance to the student carpark.

 _Hee-hee-hee! Poor Light. Two days sitting next to her and he still doesn't know. Hoo-hoo! Oh this is going to be such fun!_

* * *

 **April 8th 2004**

It was two in the morning by the time L had finally decided to turn in for the night to sleep, much to the surprise of the rest of the Kira Taskforce.

Normally he would have stayed awake throughout most of the weeknights, usually utilising the weekends off he had scheduled to catch some much-needed shut eye. However, that tennis match against Light Yagami had really drained him of his energy.

He did not like to admit it, but his number one suspect had put him through his paces.

 _Maybe Watari was right. Maybe I should keep up my practice occasionally._

L groaned to himself as he stretched out his back, the muscles protesting after so many weeks of physical inactivity.

But his physical discomfort was nothing compared to his mental state right now.

He was so sure that Light Yagami was Kira. Almost ninety-six percent sure, then fate had decided to put a spanner in the works by giving his father Chief Sochirou Yagami a heart attack of his own.

If this had been any other normal case, L would have written the event off as a ruse from Light to cast suspicion elsewhere. After all, other serial killers had done far worse for far less to throw the scent off them.

However, L was convinced the younger man's surprise on hearing the news of his father's condition was genuine, and the heart attack had not been fatal (thankfully) so it seemed very unlikely that it was an attack from Kira. After all Kira could only kill his victims not temporarily incapacitate them, and the Police Chief was no spring chicken so it stood to reason his body would have eventually buckled under the immense pressure of the case anyway.

L sighed heavily as he finally reached the doorway to Emi's room and opened it. Following the news of Chief Yagami's heart attack, the rest of the taskforce had decided to stay working at the hotel suite to work tirelessly through the night.

Since none of the policemen knew that Emi was under the detective's custody, L and Watari had had to keep up the pretence that her bedroom in the hotel suites was L's. Since the taskforce hardly came in on the weekends L could usually get away with sleeping in another room while Emi kept hers to herself. However, today, L had given up his actual room to the policemen to rest and recharge in pairs while the others worked in shifts.

He supposed he could sleep on the floor. The hotel had provided each bedroom of the suite with an extra futon and blankets just in case, and Emi was still resting from her hit to the head so she'd probably be too tired to really pay attention to his presence.

Or so he had thought.

L blinked as he investigated the room. There sitting up in the dark in the queen-sized bed, illuminated by the bright screen of the laptop over her blanket covered legs was Emi. She was dressed in one of his own long-sleeved white cotton shirts that seemed to look like an oversized dress on her petite form. It was so long that she had to roll the sleeves up several times to get it over her wrists and the scooped collar slipped off one of her shoulders revealing a light pink bra strap.

This was not the first time this had happened. During those days when the taskforce worked around the clock in the hotel suites, Emi found it exceedingly difficult to move around and get her normal day to day chores like laundry and washing up done. L had given her permission to borrow one of his shirts if she needed to wait to wash her own but still…

L's brow furrowed as he looked the rest of her over. Her short brown bob was ruffled at the back from where she had leaned onto the pillow. Her brown eyes behind her magenta glasses were focused intently on the screen in front of her with laser sharp precision, her tongue poking out from the corner of her mouth to lick at a couple of cookie crumbs stuck to it.

A far cry from the picture-perfect little damsel she had played earlier that day.

The corners of L's mouth twitched upwards for a split second as he quietly stalked towards the bed, his footsteps barely making a sound as he inched closer and closer. Emi did not seem to hear him, so absorbed was she in her typing that she did not even notice the dip in the mattress beside her even as he leaned in towards her ear-

"Boo!"

"Eep-Mmph!" Emi squeaked, only to have a large pale spidery hand clap over her mouth.

 _She even squeaks like a mouse._

He smirked to himself as he whispered softly into her ear "Careful Emilia, if you had screamed any louder you would have woken the whole floor."

"Maybe I wouldn't have if you hadn't decided to surprise me," Emi whispered fiercely, flushing a dark beetroot shade as she yanked his hand off her mouth. "And it's Emi, not Emilia, remember?"

"Of course, of course." L waved her off dismissively as he made to sit slouched shoulder to shoulder with her. "Security reasons aside, why do you reject your birth name so much?"

"I don't reject it." Emi muttered turning back to her computer with a scowl "But since I was little, everyone always called me Emi or used my Japanese name Emiko. Only my family ever calls -no sorry- _called_ me Emilia."

She bristled uncomfortably at the fumble and L's expression softened slightly

"I see" L hummed glancing sidelong at her face, illuminated by the blue-white light of her monitor "How is your head?"

"It's okay I guess. No more headache so that's a relief. But Watari still won't let me do anything strenuous." Emi grunted.

"And your arm?" L quirked a brow as he glanced down at the cast over the limb.

"It's fine, nothing got hurt again." She murmured, but the detective could see her fingers flex over the keyboard with annoyance.

He looked at the screen and saw that she was in the middle of typing a paragraph which read:

 **Tower upright, king of swords upright and queen of cups upright. A sudden unstoppable change has been made that will affect your life forever. Only by making a fast, intuitive decision based on logic, research and your empathy for others will you be able to weather the oncoming storm.**

"You still do your tarot readings then?" L murmured softly.

"I'm just finishing up the requests that came in last week. After that I'm putting the site on hold for a bit, until University break." Emi mumbled. "Oddly enough I have a bad feeling about this one"

"Because you don't believe your own predictions?" L tilted his head curiously.

"No." Emi murmured, her lips pursing into a thin line. "Because I have a bad feeling it might actually come true. Maybe not for this poor idiot I'm writing this for, but for us. Uh…I mean us as in us who are trying to catch Kira" she added, gulping down a blush as L peered at her with a frown, silently prompting her to explain herself.

"Look…I know we've made a few big strides with Light Yagami. He knows you're L and you two have been sizing one another up like two rival roosters in a cock fight. But – I don't know – it just feels too…too… _quiet_."

"Quiet?" L's hairless brow rose then suddenly he nodded "Ah, I see your point. You think Kira is being too quiet in his response to us getting close to him. As if it's the calm before the storm?"

Emi nodded quietly.

"I know it's still early days. Light Yagami is still probably trying to get his head around the situation, but I just cannot shake off this feeling that there's something big that's going to go off soon. And…I don't know I feel that somehow, somehow, it's going to change the playing field completely and when it does, a lot of people are going to get hurt."

L looked down at her hands on the keyboard and was surprised to see that though her face was steely, her fingers were trembling.

"You're afraid" L said softly and before Emi could retort one of his hands slipped over the back of one of hers. "You'd be a fool not to be."

Emi stayed silent, not daring to look at the detective as his long spindly fingers snaked themselves to entwine with hers and squeeze gently.

For an instant she considered flinging him off and shoving him away from her off the bed. But she was stopped as she heard his voice whisper in her ear:

"' _Only by making a fast, intuitive decision based on logic, research and your empathy for others will you be able to weather the oncoming storm_.'" He smirked as she glowered at his faint reflection that glimmered over a dark portion of her computer screen "Perhaps, you should take heed your own advice _Emilia_."

There was a silence as they both sat there, Emi gazing down at the spindly hand entwined with her own. His digits were long, slender and bony white in the light of the computer, like the legs of a pale spider. If anyone were to look at the detective from afar, they would think his body temperature was cold, but if his hand and the shoulder that leaned against her were any indication, he was disarmingly warm like a furnace.

 _Maybe the fans in that computer brain of his don't work and he overheats. Yeah that would explain a lot._

Emi snorted mentally not noticing the way the detective's intense searching gaze on her profile.

 _How is it that the same shirt can look so different on someone else?_

L wondered as his eyes swept over the crooked collar of his shirt on her body. Her skin, though pale, still had more colour than his own pasty white complexion and somehow made the starchy white of his shirt look less stark than it did while on his body.

Now that he thought about it, she was always more colourful than he was. He was black and white, starkly contrasted, sharp, cold. She was warm, with soft downy hair, those big round brown eyes that sometimes looked grey in dim light, the faint blush of pink on her freckled cheeks. Even her scent was more vibrant than his.

He opened his mouth to speak but was stopped as a chat notification popped up from the laptop's taskbar.

"Light_Up_The_World is online. Yikes what the hell is Light Yagami doing up at two in the morning?" Emi frowned, peeling her hand from L's as she opening up the chat box, not heeding the detective as he peered down at the screen with her.

"One could ask the same thing about us, or rather you." He hummed as he examined the last few lines of the chat from two days ago. "My guess is that he's still upset about what happened to his father"

"His father?" Emi frowned in concern "What the? What happened?"

"You mean you don't know?" L quirked an eyebrow "Sochirou Yagami just got hospitalized for a heart attack earlier today at the Police Precinct"

"A heart attack?!" Emi squeaked only to have L clap a hand over her mouth again. She tried wrenching it off but paused when he shot her a stern look.

"He's alright. He was just over-stressed; he's recovering now in hospital. I guess Watari didn't tell you because he didn't want you to distress yourself over the news." He muttered the last more to himself before taking his hand off her mouth. "Look, I'll explain everything to you soon, but first we should get as much information as we can from Light."

"Okay. Okay." Emi nodded, sucking in a deep breath as she turned to face the screen, uncomfortably aware of L's warm body next to her. The detective really did have a haywire sense of personal space.

Even so, she had to admit, it was comforting having him sit next to her after a long evening of isolation. As her fingers began typing a greeting, she felt herself relax into the pillows behind her, her body unconsciously leaning into the detective's side.

L stiffened a little as she did so but made no move to inch away. It wasn't often he got the chance to watch Emi and Light chat online, and every time he did, he learned something new about his collaborator and his rival.

However, this time he was finding it difficult to concentrate. He had never sat this close to Emi before for this long. He could feel her body heat, so much warmer than his own and see every single one of her tiny freckles on her nose as her face scrunched into a small frown under her glasses as she typed:

 **I'm okay. I just got a lot of rest earlier, so I can't sleep much now. How come you're up so late? – E.M.**

 **My father was taken to hospital – L.Y.**

 **Oh no *Shocked emoji* what happened is he alright? – E.M.**

 **It was a minor heart attack brought on by stress. He's doing much better now. The doctor said he just needs a few days of solid R &R, but it was quite scary when I got the call. For a moment I thought Kira had gotten him. But since he's alive I guess it's just overwork – L.Y.**

 **Well at least he's on the way to getting better. Anything I can do to help? I could go in to To-Oh tomorrow and take notes for you so you can spend the day with him. – E.M.**

"Good thinking" L murmured over Emi's shoulder as he read the final words. "Keep going like that. Be as supportive as you can."

"Oh I'll give you supportive" Emi snorted as Light's reply popped up on the screen.

 **That's very kind of you but I should be fine. I've only got one class tomorrow in the morning so I'll go sit with him all afternoon. Thanks for the offer though Em. You are a great friend. – L.Y.**

 **Don't mention it. Seriously though if you or your family need anything just let me know. Okay – E.M**

 **Thanks Em. Sorry my mom's knocking on my door so I guess I better hit the hay. Talk to you tomorrow. – L.Y**

 **That's alright. See you tomorrow in class. Tell your mom and sis I said hi and all my prayers are with you guys. – E.M.**

 **Will do. G'knight Emi. Sweet dreams. – L.Y.**

 **Right back at ya. Goodnight Light. – E.M.**

"Well that was rather short and sweet." L drawled, smirking as Emi shut the chat room down and shot him a filthy glare.

"Fine, since you like playing backseat driver you're welcome to take over seducing him. After all your date with him today went rather well. Perhaps you'll have better luck getting him to divulge more information next time." she pouted as she shoved the laptop into its case plunging them into semi darkness with only the light of her phone's screen to see by.

"No need to get touchy. I was just observing." L snorted softly. "In all seriousness though what is the matter. You have been quite moody recently. And I know it cannot be that time of month for you because you still have two weeks to go till your next one."

"Excuse me? How-did-why did-Eww gross! Why would you-" Emi gaped in disgust like a fish and L rolled his eyes again.

"Why? I'm a detective Emi, noticing patterns is what I do, especially those that occur most often in nature. In fact they are the most important to look out for because they provide key markers that help determine peoples possible state of mind."

"That's not the point!" Emi hissed, her cheeks now flaming red. "Look I get it okay. You keep an eye on everyone here but-but that _stuff_ about my body and its _patterns_ , that is personal okay. I-I mean how would you feel if I told you I knew what times of the week you put aside to well…take care of your personal-uh-m- _manly_ urges..."

"Ah…" L paused, and Emi mentally cheered with victory as she saw the tips of his ears colour slightly. "Touché. I see your point…"

There was a very heavy silence in which both detective and computer geek glanced at one another awkwardly only to quickly look away.

The only sounds that could be heard were the soft pattering of feet from the task force a few rooms away as they worked through the night.

"I'm sorry."

Emi blinked at L. His face was turned down to the sheets as he fiddled with them between his long spindly fingers as he murmured:

"Usually it's just Watari and I travelling together and the two of us usually keep quite a distance between us. I am not used to sharing my space with another like this. And now I'm surrounded by all these people-" He shook his head out slightly like a horse bothered by mosquitos. "I'm sorry if I've made you feel uncomfortable these past few days."

"I'm sorry too" Emi sighed, avoiding L's astonished face as she muttered "For so long it's only been my mom and me…occasionally my sister whenever I went over to visit. My dad wasn't really the affectionate type so that was a lost cause." She added with a small bitter tut. "My old therapist used to try many exercises to make me socialise more when I was a kid."

"Did they work?" L smirked and was pleased when he heard her chuckle under her breath.

"Not that much. I mean don't get me wrong, I have friends now, like Yuki, but I didn't make them because of stupid trust exercises. God Yuki…It's been a while since I last talked to her…I hope she's doing okay…" Emi trailed off, her heart stinging as she remembered her rambunctious friend running towards her, black and purple-pink tipped hair whipping behind her as Emi held her back from assaulting the idiots at school.

 _So this is why she's been down. She's been missing her best friend._

L's dark gaze softened slightly as he took in Emi's wistful gaze. What surprised him more, was the strange guilty tugging in his stomach.

 _Well…It has been a while since they last saw one another. Also Emilia has been out in public a few times and no one else has targeted her yet...it might do her some good seeing a friendly face…_

"You should call her" L said and was not disappointed to see Emi jolt.

"Huh?" she stared at him. Had she heard him right?

"You should call your friend Yuki." L repeated himself softly "Arrange to meet her. Of course you should have an undercover armed escort just in case-" he added quickly "-but you should take whatever time you have to make some good memories, before the storm you fear does hit us, because once it does, there may not be much downtime left to us."

"You…you really mean it?" Emi breathed, the warmth of joy bubbling in her gut.

"Yes." L nodded, gulping as she looked at him with her wide brown eyes that crinkled slightly as she smiled at him.

"Thank you"

It was the first full smile he had seen from her since the funeral, and L had to admit, the photographs he had seen did not do it justice.

Her nose scrunched slightly in the middle making her glasses slip down a little on her lightly freckled nose. The glint in her brown eyes he so often admired was bright yet mischievous and her cheeks had that soft pink flush as she leaned in to give him a small peck his pale cheekbone.

It was barely a touch, a slight graze, but it was enough to make L's ears go crimson and his whole body stiffen in surprise.

"That was payback for day before yesterday wasn't it?" he growled irritably, his black eyes narrowing as Emi smirked deviously back.

"Yep."

"Hmph!" He huffed brusquely as he scrambled off the bed and strode over to the en-suite bathroom door.

"Let either me or Watari know when you want to meet your friend. I will organise some discreet protection to keep watch over you so that you two can enjoy yourselves. Until then get some sleep. We've got a long day tomorrow" he muttered and shut the door behind him.

 _Looks like its two to one, Emi in the lead._

Emi shook her head as she grinned, rolling her eyes. The young detective always did like to intrude on other's personal space but hated it when someone invaded his own.

Meanwhile, in the bathroom, L had stripped off to use the shower and was furiously scrubbing his red blushing face with water and soap.

First, she ate the last of his cake and then she stole his shirt and then kissed his cheek to spite him?

"Minx" he muttered under his breath. He had to find a way to get back, but how?

 _Argh! What am I doing? I should save this energy for apprehending Kira, not get distracted by such childish antics._

He huffed to himself as he scrubbed through his hair with the shampoo, realising too late that he was smelling of vanilla and strawberry. He sniffed at a raven lock that fell in front of his nose.

 _It smells nicer on her._

He begrudgingly mused as he rinsed off his head and carefully applied a tiny amount of conditioner.

He did not know how it had started or what its rules were, but L knew that he was sorely losing this strange game against Emilia Misora.

And if there was one thing the great detective hated it was losing.

He took his time coming out of the shower and drying himself off, mentally listing off the many ways he could potentially solve his little dilemma. He had just about pulled on his pants and was about to reach for a clean shirt when he heard a knock and the padding of footsteps on the other side of the bathroom door.

Footsteps that did not belong to Emilia Misora.

"Uh…R-Ryuzaki…sorry to bother you but we found something in the-ah-ah! M-M-M-Minami san?! W-wh-what-what are you mph!?"

There was a cry, and suddenly the newcomer's voice was muffled by something over its mouth.

L snarled.

 _Shit! Matsuda, you idiot!_

* * *

 **And there we have it chapter 7. I figured I'd add a bit more "romance" into this chapter since the Tarot Card chapter title is the Lovers (I mean how could I not include it). But yeah, L and Emi are closing the net in around Light but are also having growing pains adapting to living with one another, all the while Ryuk is enjoying the spoils of his meddling (god I have such fun writing him, I think he's one of my faves). I gotta admit I have been waiting a while to figure out how to put in a "Matsuda, you idiot!" moment somewhere XD but I'm glad I finally got round to it.**

 **I hope I got the Tennis match right even if I had to change the ending because a certain Shinigami decided to fly through Emi for kicks.** **I don't know why but in my head I have a headcanon that while Ryuk can't be seen by other humans (or those that haven't touched his death note), they might feel his presence when he passes through them like a ghost. it feels like something he'd definitely use to his advantage while trying to mess with people, like to make them sneeze or freeze up.**

 **Anyways, I hope you guys all enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you all next time. Remember to keep favoriting and reviewing for more ;)**


End file.
